President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered that all Group Life Assurance payments owing to the families of deceased officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army who gave their lives defending the nation against terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements be paid out immediately.
Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, announced this yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff Combined Second and Third Quarter Conference 2003 in Abuja.
Gen Lagbaja addressed major staff officers, MNJTF force commanders, Hadin Kai, GOCs, and corps commanders, saying:
“As you are aware, all military operations come at a cost, the quantum of which cannot be accurately determined before they are incurred.
“To this end, it is an open secret that we have sometimes suffered painful setbacks and have paid for our successes in blood and treasures.
“However, I am glad to observe that we have remained resolute in our drive to deny all criminal elements in our society respite, as their dastardly acts have only strengthened our resolve to intensify our onslaught against them.
“In a bid to further enhance our operational effects, the Nigerian Army has established some special forces units, using specially trained personnel to tackle various criminalities across the country.
“The special forces units have continued to record impressive performances through intelligence-led operations and the use of special equipment.
“As we continue to procure and induct more sophisticated platforms and equipment into the various theatres as force multipliers, I charge field commanders to ensure the maintenance of these platforms and equipment to prolong their life span and enable the nation optimize its investment.
“To align with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that the armed forces and other security agencies should decisively deal with all security challenges facing the country, we must continue to conduct ourselves in a manner that reflects us as a committed force.
“In line with this, I conceived my command philosophy to ‘transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained force, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.’
“This philosophy will guide and drive our actions and engagements as I lead the Nigerian Army into becoming a force ready to operate and respond to any form of threat in any domain and spectrum, within and outside the boundaries of Nigeria through joint efforts.”
cc: Vanguard Ng
