The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has said that the Nigerian Army will resist all calls for undemocratic intervention in governance by the Armed Forces of Nigeria, saying it is not poised to lose the new prestige it has painstakingly built in the past 25 years.
The COAS stated this in his opening remarks during the opening ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff combined second and third quarters conference 2024, held at Akwa Ibom State Council of Chiefs Hall, Uyo, on Tuesday.
According to him, such calls came from young Nigerians who never experienced the era of Nigeria’s extensive military rule and the concerted struggle by heroes and heroines of the current democratic dispensation.
“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 remains secure, and united.
“The Nigerian Army remains resolute in sustaining the ongoing efforts to ensure maximum revenue accrues to the Federal Government for the benefit of the generality of Nigerians,” the COAS stated.
He noted that since the Nigerian Army’s senior hierarchy last met in April for the First Quarter Conference, the country has witnessed a new set of security challenges.
“Aside from the known threats of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, illegal mining, and farmer/herder crises, the recent protests in the Country, which were primarily driven by discontent over economic issues and government policies, resulted in significant unrest and, in some cases, violence.
“This situation reminded us that, as an Armed Force, we must not only focus on physical security and defence of the nation but that food and social security issues can snowball into physical security challenges.
“The protest that was held between 1 and 10 August this year was largely driven by provocative and inciting social media traffic.
“Although it was professionally managed by the Nigeria Police Force supported by the military and other security agencies. The challenge that it posed is a pointer to the fact that the military must always remain professional.
“It is obvious that some of the protest organisers hold contrary opinions from the government on how the security forces managed the situation.
“However, I believe it was carefully handled, and I commend our commanders and troops for conducting themselves in the most professional manner as they worked with the Nigeria Police and civil authorities to effectively control the situation,” he noted.
Mr Lagbaja, however, expressed deep sadness over the loss of lives and the destruction of public facilities, as well as looting witnessed in some states.
