Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff, assured Nigerians that the military is on track to overcome the current security challenges.
He provided this assurance during the closing ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff Combined Second and Third Quarters Conference 2024, held on Thursday in Uyo.
The five-day conference brought together Principal Staff Officers, Corps, Formations and Operations Commanders, Commandants of Nigerian Army Schools and Tri-Service Institutions, and key officers from across the country to review ongoing operations, training, and activities.
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It also allowed for strategic planning for the fourth quarter and a comprehensive review of counter-insurgency and anti-banditry efforts.
Lagbaja emphasized that the army is making progress toward resolving security issues, based on briefings from various formations and commands.
At the conference’s start, he reaffirmed the army’s commitment to maintaining democratic governance and preserving its integrity, stressing that it would not succumb to pressures to disrupt the democratic process.
He also addressed concerns about military intervention during the recent #EndbadGovernance protest, pledging that the army remains dedicated to a unified and secure Nigeria.
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“Another pertinent issue that came up during the recent protest is the call for undemocratic intervention in governance by the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“Although one can say this was coming from young Nigerians who never experienced the era of Nigeria’s extensive military rule and the concerted struggle by heroes and heroines of our current democratic dispensation to get the Nation on its current path.
“As Chief of Army Staff, my simple response to the call is, ‘Thanks, but no thanks!’ The Nigerian Army will not allow itself to be used to undemocratically sail some interests to power.
“As the Service that received the most image bashing as a fallout of previous military interventions in Nigeria, the Nigerian Army is not poised to lose the new prestige it has painstakingly built in the past 25 years,” Lagbaja said.
Lagbaja stated that, in addition to tackling physical security threats like terrorism, banditry, and crude oil theft, the Nigerian Army is also focusing on addressing the food crisis, which could exacerbate security issues.
To address this challenge, he revealed that the Nigerian Army is launching a significant food production initiative in collaboration with both the government and the private sector to ensure food security.
“Evidently, 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.
“As a way of strengthening its soft power approach to resolving Nigeria’s food security challenge, the Nigerian Army will, in the coming days, review its agricultural policy to better position the Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches Limited to significantly boost crop production so that the Army can release grains into the market at highly subsidized rate in support of government efforts.
“Furthermore, the Army Headquarters is reviewing some proposals for partnerships with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government and reputable private organizations on how best to collaborate to resolve the food crisis in the country.
