The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has reassured Nigerians that the military would soon surmount the prevailing security challenges facing the country.
He gave the assurance during the closing ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff combined Second and Third Quarters Conference 2024, on Thursday in Uyo.
The conference, which lasted for five days, brought together Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, Corps, Formations and Operations Commanders, Commandants of Nigerian Army Schools and Tri-service Institutions, as well as selected Nigerian Army officers serving in key appointments and tri-service establishments across the country.
Lagbaja assured that the army was on the path to victory against insecurity in the country, based on the security briefings he received from different army formations and commands across the country.
He also reiterated the army’s commitment to democratic governance and its resolve not to succumb to calls for military intervention.
“We are on the path to victory against insecurity in the country,” Lagbaja said. “We will not allow ourselves to be used to undemocratically sail some interests to power. The Nigerian Army will continue to work for a united and secure country.”
“The Nigerian Army is not poised to lose the new prestige it has painstakingly built in the past 25 years,” he added. “We will continue to support the government’s efforts to resolve the food crisis in the country.”
“The situation that led to the protest seems to have settled, but the Nigerian Army understands that the issue of food security will remain on the front burner of our national security policy and discussions for a while,” Lagbaja said. “We will review our agricultural policy to better position the Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches Limited to significantly boost crop production.”
