All enemies of Nigeria must be defeated, says army chief
By SUMAILA OGBAJE
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt -Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army to deal with all forms of insecurity confronting the country.
Yahaya gave the assurance at a one-day seminar on “Intensifying Warrior Ethos” organised by the Army Headquarters Department of Transformation and Innovation, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Maj.-Gen. Anthony Omozoje, the COAS said the volatile and complex security emergencies facing the nation had necessitated the continuous review of the national security architecture to contain the threats.
He said although the varied acts of insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping and banditry and other terrorist organisations had continued to pose substantive threats to the nation.
Yahaya said the troops had continued to respond assiduously to contain and decimate all adversaries in line with his maiden message on assumption of office, that all adversaries of Nigeria must be defeated decisively.
According to him, sustaining and insisting on a winning mentality must be inculcated into all troops.
Yahaya said the seminar was designed to consolidate on the initial gains of the first edition and provide avenue for wider participation and academia contribution towards enhancing warrior ethos.
According to him, the essence is to continue to seek strategies to enhance the spirit and zeal of own troops for better combat efficiency and readiness.
He urged participants to make conscious efforts to glean good ideas from the seminar, saying it would impact positively in galvanising troops to optimal performance.
“The successes recorded in the fight against terrorism and banditry as well as general conduct of its operations across the country is a testament to this. However, much is still required from us.
“Let me also seize this opportunity to reiterate the unwavering commitment of the President, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces for his invaluable support to the Nigerian army towards ensuring success in our various operations.
“We must on our part, continue to justify these resources and goodwill by consistently executing all assigned tasks swiftly and in the most efficient and professional manner as warriors,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief of Transformations and Innovation (Army), Maj.-Gen. Charles Ofoche said the seminar was premised on the need to shore-up the fighting spirit of our personnel deployed in the North East and other operational theatres across Nigeria.
Ofoche said the seminar was also timely considering the changing tactics of the adversaries by focusing on kidnapping for ransom, attacking the nation’s critical infrastructure such as rail lines, power lines, communication networks, airports among others.
He said it had become expedient to review the current security architecture and re-strategise to bridge observed gaps as well as build the right fighting will for the threats.
According to him, the purpose of this seminar, therefore, is to brainstorm and proffer practicable ways of imbibing in our troops the warrior ethos which encompasses the will, zeal and spirit to fight to the end.
“The re-invigoration of the fighting will is essential to building a formidable 21st Century Army.
“This will not only boost the attainment of Nigerian Army missions, but also effectively propel the cardinal pillars of Chief of Army Staff’s Command philosophy, which is hinged on professionalism, readiness, administration and cooperation.
“Furthermore, it is expected to inspire the Nigerian Army to strive for better output in terms of operational effectiveness,” he said. (NAN)
