Attend to subordinates’ needs promptly, army chief tells commanders 

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, on Wednesday, directed commanders in the North West region of the country to promptly attend to the administrative needs of their subordinates.

According to him, doing this would strengthen and boost the morale of troops in the theatres of operations.

Speaking at the closing of a three-day retreat for past and present commanders of operations in North West in Abuja, Lagbaja who was represented by Chief of Operations, Maj.-Gen. Boniface Sinjen, stated that the North West region is a trade hub of the country, urging commanders to step up their efforts to restore peace in the region.

He said, “Commanders in the northwest zone must be courageous, ingenious, innovative, critical thinkers and good communicators. Because the Northwest zone is a major trade axis in the country, it must be secured for the benefit of the entire nation.

“Commanders must up their games and attend to the administrative needs of their subordinates promptly to strengthen the moral component of our fighting power.”

The Army chief said the retreat had helped them to clarify events, strengthen the positives and correct shortcomings in army operations in the Northwest.

He added that the various recommendations made would assist in the review of current happenings on the ground for better performance by the army.

“I believe we have been able to reduce the spikes of kidnapping, banditry and adoption in rural communities in the zone. However, our concern is now on the shift of these criminals to urban centres in the entire northwest.

“One major objective of this retreat, therefore, was to examine the operational logistics, administrative factors and interagency cooperation and collaboration in the zone.

“This necessitated the call to our senior colleagues who have operated in the area before disengaging from the service,” he added.

He also charged them to fully embrace cooperation and collaboration in their operations, reiterating that the army must relate and work closely with other agencies and services involved.

According to him, it is through a collaborative effort that we can ensure that Nigerians go about their daily chores without fear of any form of harassment or intimidation.

In his remarks, the Director-General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab (retd.), said all the operations being conducted by the armed forces were in joint efforts with other security agencies.

He noted that the retreat was aimed at appraising the Nigerian army operations, looking at their performance in terms of strength and shortcomings as well as what could be done for a better performance.

He explained that the Nigerian military, especially the army, had what it takes to address the challenges but required the support of all stakeholders and the society to succeed.