The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja has highlighted the importance of a whole-of-society approach to its efforts and the need to gain the buy-in of the citizenry to support the troops in operations.
In an address at the Nigerian Army Day Celebration NADCEL 2024 grand finale at the Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, 3 Division Headquarters in Jos the Plateau State capital, the Army Chief assured Nigerians that the Army remains committed to its mission statement, which is ‘To Win all Land Battles in Defence of the Territorial Integrity of Nigeria, Protect Her National Interests and Accomplish other Tasks in Aid of Civil Authority'.
"The fulfillment of this responsibility sometimes demands that we make the ultimate sacrifice. To this end, we are continuously engaged in preparing ourselves for this onerous duty by honing our skills and competencies for this task as the Nigerian Army under my watch is committed to improving our operational effectiveness to meet the ever-changing violent and complex threats to the nation".
He therefore appealed for the understanding of citizens living in proximity to areas of active combat operations to understand that the deployments of the Nigerian Army are designed to protect and to defend law-abiding Nigerians against misguided persons and groups who have resorted to armed violence against the state.
He acknowledged that the Nigerian Army is currently deployed in all states of the federation to contain different violent armed groups threatening the peace of law-abiding Nigerians and majority of the operations are being conducted within the civil space, giving rise to more frequent interactions with civilians.
"As a people’s army established for the defence of Nigeria and Nigerians, we are committed to the careful adherence to the rules and boundaries that define legal and ethical conduct.
"To this end, we have ramped up the sensitization of troops on the proper conduct of the Nigerian Soldier, within the larger society and adherence to a high level of professionalism in the conduct of operations amongst the people"
This is coming against the backdrop of recent rise against the troops in different location within the country where the personnel themselves become victims of attack by some community members.
These conflicts have given rise to concerns expressed by other citizens and security analysts on the need to strenghten civil military relations, create more awareness amongst citizens on need to respect and honour all uniform and service men who sacrifice to keep the nation's peace and stability.
According General Lagbaja, the Nigerian Army chose Jos Plateau State as host state to showcase how much can be achieve when the government and the people cooperate and collaborate with the military.
General Lagbaja appreciated the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu represented at the occasion by the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru for his continuous support to the armed forces.
Speaking on the subject of welfare, the Army Chief expressed commitment to improving the welfare and administration of our troops at all levels with the launching of the Affordable Housing for All (AHOOAS) scheme that would provide subsidized housing for troops when they leave the Army.
He said over 500 apartments have been built for the men and women of the Nigerian Army who have subscribed to the AHOOAS scheme so far with a portion of the houses specifically reserved for for personnel who have been disabled in war circumstances.
Also Group Life Assurance scheme to dependents of soldiers who paid the supreme price in the defence of the nation as approved by the President have commenced with disbursement of funds to beneficiaries.
The Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2024, which marks the 161st Anniversary of the Nigerian Army with a week-long series of activities held annually to commemorate the anniversary of the existence of the Nigerian Army with this year's theme being ‘Transforming the Nigerian Army: Imperative for Combating Contemporary Security Challenges Within a Joint Environment’.
The NADCEL 2024 witnessed civil military activities such as commissioning of several quick impact projects in communities within the host State to elicit their support and cooperation, hosting of veterans to a happy hour, mentoring the Nigerian Youth through public speaking engagements, awarding of prizes to winners of the maiden edition of the Chief of Army Staff Literary Competition organized for children in primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
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