Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja, has called for continued support for the Nigerian Army in its quest to protect the territorial integrity of the country.
Mr Lagbaja made the call in his goodwill message to Nigerians at the Interdenominational Church Service to mark the 2023 Nigerian Army Day Celebration, NADCEL, at Mogadishu Military Cantonment, on Sunday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme of the celebration was: “Sound Administration as Panacea for Effective Military Operation.“
Mr Lagbaja recalled that Nigerian Army had come a long way since its establishment in 1865, adding that it had lived up to expectations in protecting the territorial integrity of the country, though not without its challenges.
“I must admit that the nation has faced some security challenges along the way, but the troops have been responding to these challenges across the country.
“Upon my assumption of duty as the 23rd COAS, I want to implore Nigerians that they should continue to support the army and pledge their unalloyed loyalty of the troops to the constitution and the government of the day.
“We will continue to do all within our power to combat every security challenge confronting the country and meet the expectations of the country in providing a secured environment for economic activities to thrive,” Mr Lagbaja said.
He said that Nigerian army had recorded considerable achievements, especially in the area of the ongoing fight against insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality in various theatres of operations within the country.
The COAS said that the army had continued to coordinate efforts closely with sister-services and other security agencies to sustain the pressure on the enemies of the country.
“For instance, our coordinated efforts in the North-East theatre under “Operation Hadin Kai“ has so far yielded considerable successes.
“As of today, we have over a hundred thousand members of the dreaded Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) that have surrendered to the Nigerian troops,“ he said.
Mr Lagbaja said that all the ‘unprecedented achievements’ by the Nigerian army, alongside its sister-services and other security agencies, had led to a more stable environment for governance and economic activities to thrive.
He further stated that the army also recorded some feats in its operations to eliminate violent acts of banditry, illegal oil bunkering and other forms of criminalities in some parts of the country.
“Of particular importance is the contribution of the army in entrenching democracy in the country.
“The professional manner in which the army has supported the smooth conduct of all the elections in the country since 1999 and displayed unalloyed loyalty to the constitution of Nigeria deserves its support and commendation.
“Accordingly, I seize this opportunity to reaffirm the total commitment of the army to the defence of the nation`s constitution and our dear country, Nigeria,“ he said.
According to him, all the efforts by the army and other security agencies are geared toward protecting the territorial integrity of the country, hence the need for the unalloyed support of Nigerians to enable it achieve its core mandate.
Earlier, the acting director, Chaplain Services Protestant, Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Bilson Newton, commended the Nigerian army for celebrating yet another anniversary, urging it to redouble its efforts at tackling any security threat to the country headlong.
Mr Newton said that for the military operation to succeed, everyone must play his/her own part.
The chaplain urged Nigerians to always play their roles in their respective areas and appreciate the security personnel for ensuring that peace and tranquility reigned supreme in the country.
NAN