The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Tukur Buratai, has said apathy among the younger generation of soldiers has caused recent setbacks in the fighting against insurgency in the North Easter part of the country.
Speaking on Wednesday, during a transformational leadership workshop for midlevel officers/soldiers in Abuja, the COAS said most of these young and midlevel soldiers have failed to take full ownership of common national service.
According to him, professional capacity is not enough to succeed in the operation, adding that willingness to perform the task is equally necessary.
He said: “It is unfortunate, but the truth is that almost every setback the Nigerian Army has had in our operations in recent times can be traced to insufficient willingness to perform assigned tasks: or simply insufficient commitment to a common national/military course by those at the frontlines.”
“Many of those on whom the responsibility for physical actions against the adversary squarely falls are yet to fully take ownership of our common national or Service cause,” he added.
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Mr Buratai noted further that the workshop would equally serve as a reminder to what President Muhammadu Buhari said during his second term inauguration speech: “This generation and indeed, future generations of Nigerians have no other country but Nigeria; we must remain here and salvage it together.”
He, however, said the Nigerian Army recorded successes over the years, especially in the area of grooming of military leaders.
According to him, this is evident in the many successes that the Army has achieved in operations, and the performance of troops in international/multinational operations.
“But we all know that professional capacity is not a sufficient condition to succeed in a task; willingness to perform the task is equally necessary,” he added.
