President Goodluck Jonathan has charged the Nigerian Army to intensify and sharpen its skills in counter-terrorism and intelligence gathering to fight the new threat facing the nation.
The President who gave the charge at the Chief of Army Staff conference in Benin, Edo state Capital said security is key towards the achieving his transformational agenda for Nigeria.
The President who noted the increase in the spate of kidnapping, bombings and the threats posed by Boko Haram in the country urged the Army Chiefs to consider these a priority in their deliberations.
President Goodluck Jonathan in his speech read by the Minister of Defence Dr Bello Mohammed noted that the past one year has been challenging with the escalation of kidnapping, arm robbery and bombings hence the need for collaboration between the Armed Forces and the Police in ensuring the internal security of the country.
The Defence Minister said “I am particularly impressed with your choice of the theme for the conference, which is, ‘The Nigerian Army in the National Transformation Agenda.’ It is an indication of the army being abreast with issues of national concern and currency.”
According to the president, “the spate of violent crimes in parts of the country, including kidnapping, armed robbery, bombings and threats from the activities of the Boko Haram sect are contemporary security challenges facing our nation.
“These threats demand an integrated approach from all the security agencies in order to effectively curb them and create a conducive atmosphere for economic activities to thrive in the affected areas. The Nigerian Army must, therefore, intensify its efforts (in conjunction with other security agencies) to devise new innovative ways to address these challenges.”
Edo state Governor who commended the military’s role in the just concluded elections urged the military to continue to keep faith with the Nigerian people as the economic crisis in the country is no excuse to abandon the country.
The Chief of Army sSaff Leutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika drew the attention of the Executive and the National Assembly to the problems of funding faced by the Military in Nigeria.
The Chief of Army staff who said the army has ensured that they disciplined erring soldiers in their conduct towards civilians however remarked that investigations showed that most of the complaints were mere propaganda.
He however assured that the coming year will see closer monitoring of the soldiers and as well urged soldiers to avail themselves of the use of anonymous letters in reporting dissenting views to higher authorities.
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