The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher
Musa, has charged top officers and commanders of the Armed Forces to continue
to cooperate to ensure an end to all forms of insecurity across the country.
Musa gave the charge during the taking over of office
by Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede as the Acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS), on
Friday in Abuja.
He said that Nigeria as a nation was going through
several challenges that required all hands on deck, adding that President Bola
Tinubu decided to appoint the acting COAS to ensure continuity and avoid any
gap.
“We cannot afford to stay back and allow insecurity to
continue to prevail. It is important that we all understand this clearly and
give the acting COAS all the support to make sure he is successful.
“Gen. Lagbaja is somebody we all know as a regimented
fine officer who would not want any gap to occur in his absence.
“That is why this event is taking place. So I want to
count on all of us, whatever issues we have in mind, whatever opinions, please
put it that Nigeria must survive, the armed forces must survive and the
services must survive.
“So everybody should put his hands on deck and let us
succeed.
“To all our commanders out there in the field, the
challenges are there and we want to commend them for all the efforts they are
making.
“We know they are performing magic but we want to urge
them not to relent because the bandits, the terrorists, the criminals are not
relenting.
“We are moving towards December, and we know the
challenges that will come up. So we need to take all measures necessary to
ensure that Nigeria remains peaceful,” he said.
The CDS gave assurance that all the services would be
working as a team to keep Nigeria safe in line with the mandate of the
commander in chief.
According to him, by this appointment, the
responsibilities of administering the Nigerian Army now rest on Maj.-Gen.
Oluyede.
“Your responsibilities are wide and varied, and cannot
be covered in this administrative note.
“All shall yield to your new responsibility, and to
begin to immediately continue administering the affairs of the Nigerian army.
“It is expected that at the end of this formal event,
you will be briefed extensively by the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army) and
other Principal Staff Officers of the Army.
“Accordingly, you have to note that your installation
was based on your vast knowledge of military leadership at all levels,
character and competence.
“You are a member of a larger team of professional
soldiers who are satisfied with the responsibility of defending the territorial
integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by land, sea, and air, as captured
in our Constitution.
“It is therefore expected of you to consolidate and
improve on the achievements the substantive COAS and other past chiefs in order
to sustain the high level of professionalism, discipline, resilience, and
regimentation that the Nigerian army is known for all over the world,” he
added.
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