The Chief Army of Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, says he will no longer tolerate excuses from army commanders who are leading the fight against terrorism and all other forms of security challenges.
Yahaya, who stated this during the opening ceremony of the combined second and third quarters Chief of Army Staff conference in Abuja, maintained that the Nigerian Army under his watch would remain resolute and continue to chart progressive paths towards tackling all challenges bedeviling the country.
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The General’s resolution came a few hours after fleeing bandits attacked a military base in Zamfara State where a dozen of the army personnel paid supreme price.
“Commanders must seize initiative and commanders must take initiative; they must take decisive actions to defeat the threats in their respective area of responsibilities.
“I will not again take or accept no excuses. Gentlemen, failure is failure irrespective of the circumstances!
“I want to state that the Nigerian Army under my watch will remain resolute and continue to chart progressive paths towards tackling the security challenges confronting the Country,” he said.
The army chief also charged the troops to sustain the tempo in various theatres of operations in order to rid the nation of all security threats.
According to him, “I have directed that serious attention be given to sustaining and improving the tempo in all ongoing Nigerian Army operations across the country.
“I have also directed the conduct of special operations especially in the North-central and North-west regions to address the deteriorating security infractions in the regions.
“Commanders must therefore glean from my command philosophy to ensure that operational and administrative proficiencies of Nigerian Army units and formations are sustained and improved upon.”
Speaking further, Yahaya assured that adequate equipment and training will be provided to enable the Army carry out its constitutional role of securing the nation from all threats.
“I am aware of logistics constraints affecting operations across the country and I am glad to inform you that efforts are in progress to provide us with combat enablers that would enhance and boost our operation.”
“Concerted efforts are also being made to eliminate the threat of improvised explosive devices which has been a major impediment to troops and our operations.
“In Operation HADIN KAI. I want to assure you that I am determined to rebuild the fighting skills, capacity, confidence, and morale of our troops across the various theatres of operations.
“Training must also be given due attention that it deserves. In order to achieve this, priorities for the fourth quarter of the year would include training and more training.
“I will ensure that through functional training, officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are equipped with the right attitude, competences and skills to effectively undertake daring missions in addition to developing special operations forces.
“This would be closely followed by procurement that ensures appropriate kitting and provision of protective gear, weapons, equipment and platforms,” he said.
