Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has guaranteed Nigerians that the Army won’t surrender to calls by some strong interest coalitions to upset democratic governance in the nation.
Lt-Gen Lagbaja communicated this in his introductory statements at the 2024 Chief of Army Staff combined second and third quarters conference held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.
He said that the Nigerian Army was all the while attempting to reestablish its integrity after years of military rule and thus isn’t prepared to lose its renown built in the past 25 years of staying out of power.
The COAS, who spoke against the backdrop of calls by some persons for military intervention during the August 1 to 10 #EndbadGovernance protest, vowed to guarantee that the Army works for a united and secure nation.
“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.
He said that apart from battling physical insecurity such as terrorism, banditry, crude oil theft, and others, the Nigerian Army was prepared to address the challenge of the food crisis which could set off actual security issues.
To this end, Lagbaja disclosed that the Nigerian Army as a way of guaranteeing food security, was embarking on gigantic food production in partnership with the government and the private sector.
“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.
