The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Farouk Yahaya, Monday, said the Nigerian Army must sit up and develop novel plans, processes and strategies to meet the changing nature of the battle space.
He also advocated a return and strict adherence to military traditions and doctrines to make the Nigerian Army a more professional and formidable Force than can meet the security challenges facing the country.
Noting that Nigeria is as good as the strength of her Armed Forces, the Army Chief harped on the need to develop competencies that would make the Army ever ready to undertake its constitutional duties.
The COAS who spoke during his maiden briefing with General Officers Commanding (GOCs), field Commanders and other frontline Officers, pledged to rejig the Nigerian Army.
Yahaya who was appointed the 22nd Chief of Army Staff after the death of the former COAS, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru in a plane crash, promised to lead the Army to victory in all the ongoing operations across the country.
According to him, “for the Nigerian Army to be competitive in the 21st century, it must remain professional and seek to develop competencies that would make it ever ready to undertake its constitutional duties.
“It is therefore, against this background that my mission which is to build a professional Nigerian Army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in the defence of Nigeria. To achieve this goal, my Command philosophy will rest on four pillars, namely: Professionalism, Readiness, Administration and Cooperation”.
He continued, “we must return to the tenets of adhering strictly to customs and tradition and ethics of the Nigerian Army. The task ahead of us is enormous, but so also is the strength of our common resolve to accomplish them.
“As your Chief of Army Staff, I hereby restate my commitment to lead you with sincerity, with transparency and accountability at all times. I want to assure you all that I would run the Army fairly and justly, giving equal opportunity to all based on individual competencies and character.
“I count on you to rise with me and defend our country. Gentlemen, together we shall succeed.
“I want to assure the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on my and our unalloyed loyalty of Nigerian Army and also to assure all Nigerians of Army’s determination to ensure the territorial integrity of Nigeria.”
