… Nigeria Army most misunderstood- COAS
The Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa said that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) will apply the lens of people-centricity to key components of activities to truly put the Nigerian people at the centre of its actions geared towards promoting and safeguarding a secure environment for all.
He further said that the AFN will defend the country’s territorial integrity and democracy as well as safeguard internal security and unity to achieve the stability required to guarantee sustainable national development.
Musa stated this on Monday at the Screening of Service Chiefs while he appeared before the House ad-Hoc committee on screening.
He said “I recognize the significance of leading the thousands of devoted and distinguished service men and women to provide a secure and peaceful environment for the Nigerian people to freely engage in their legitimate enterprise in line with the constitutional mandate of the AFN.
“In this regard, the AFN under my leadership will be people-centric by prioritizing and safeguarding our people and their legitimate way of life as prescribed by the Nigerian Constitution.
Speaking on the welfare of the troops, Musa said the troops’ welfare and sound administration will provide the required atmosphere for the AFN to deliver on its constitutional responsibilities. Thus, the AFN will continue to seek ways and means to improve the welfare of its personnel under my watch.
“In this regard, service men and women of the AFN should be reassured of my commitment to their welfare, provision of relevant operational equipment as well as infrastructural development within available resources to enable them to succeed in assigned constitutional roles.
“I shall also promote international military cooperation/ collaboration to further expose and provide capacity building to AEN personnel in joint and combined operations outside the shores of Nigeria. This measure is required to consolidate AFN welfare priorities in order to effectively deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt and sustained land, sea and air dominance by the AFN across traditional as well as asymmetric conflict settings as part of a joint force,” he said.
Speaking also at the screening, the Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen.Taoreed Lagbaja said that the Nigeria Army is the most misunderstood, complex and challenged component of the Nigeria Armed forces.
According to him, security challenges in the last two decades have made governance more challenging, adding that it has disrupted developmental progress in the country.
Lagbaja said “I consider my nomination as a call to higher responsibilities and I am determined not to betray the trust and confidence reposed in me. It is an open secret that our country has faced a challenging security environment in the past two decades. It has impacted adversely on our socio-economic and political lives.
“The episodic crises of the past have now become enduring thereby making governance and the rule of law more challenging for successive administrations.
“Today’s painful reality is that insecurity has distracted our developmental plans and aspirations of a strong, prosperous, globally competitive and influential nation. Never in the recent is the requirement for proactive, adaptive and inclusive leadership more needed than in Nigeria’s security environment of today.
” These requirements are what I intend to do as COAS if confirmed. I am mindful that the Nigerian Army, which I am being screened to lead is a crucial component of our military instrument of national power. It is not only the largest, but the most complex, most geographically spread, most sought after during crisis and often most misunderstood.
“I believe that for the Nigerian Army to grapple with the demands of the contemporary security environment, it would consistently transform to be a step ahead of its time.
“For this reason, I conceptualize my philosophy of command as to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment. I intend to partner with the National Assembly and other stakeholders in achieving this command philosophy,” he added.
Speaking earlier at the meeting, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Babajimi Benson said for more than sixteen years, Nigeria has witnessed diverse and unprecedented level of insecurity in which the Armed Forces of Nigeria have been fully involved prompting the launch of several theatres of operations and exercises as well as providing support for tackling several domestic security challenges.
“The House of Representatives is delighted with the successes recorded so far, especially in the last one year. We acknowledge these robust achievements which is a proof of the level of professionalism often displayed by our military in the discharge of their duties. We urge you to effectively collaborate with sister security agencies to ensure that all security threats are completely neutralised, and Nigerians can live peacefully.
“The world of security is dynamic and ever-changing. New security threats are emerging across the globe. Today, wars are not only fought on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace.
” Consequently, the art of warfare must therefore be a step ahead. This is why Nigeria must tap into and harness the potential of having a Defence Space Force, like in the United States of America. While acknowledging the immense contributions of the Defence Space Administration (DSA), there is a need for a full-fledged Defence Space Force to adequately handle potential threats from cyberspace and provide intelligence support to other services.
Tasking the nominees on their task, Benson stated that the role of securing the lives and property of Nigerians is the collective task of the Armed forces
Benson further stated that the 10th House of Representatives is keenly committed to providing the necessary legislative framework to the current government in its quest to ensure that Nigerians live in peace.
“We must therefore work collectively to deliver more on the goals of this administration to drastically reduce cases of insecurity across the country.
” While the House will continue to support this vision through our legislative activities, we shall also embark on rigorous oversight exercises, beginning from this screening, to ensure that the Armed Forces of Nigeria adhere strictly to the provisions of all Appropriation Acts as will be eventually passed by the National Assembly and accented to by Mr President.
He, therefore, urged the nominees to cooperate with the National Assembly while performing their constitutional duties of ensuring a peaceful, secure and prosperous country for all Nigerians.
The meeting afterwards went into a closed door.