General Lucky Irabor (retd), the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, has said he is leaving the military more capable of tackling adversaries than he met it.
This is as he admitted that the task wasn’t easy due to the large and diverse nature of the country.
Irabor spoke at the pulling-out ceremony held in his honour on Friday in Abuja.
“National security for a large and diverse country like Nigeria is not an easy task, but it is also not an impossible one,” he said.
“In 2021, the security situation of the nation was admittedly in a state of dynamic plus. Efforts made by the federal government of Nigeria using the AFN in collaboration with the NPF, other security agencies, and critical stakeholders were in different stages of gestation. We were encouraged to pursue these measures in addition to other initiatives to reinvigorate the national security architecture to deliver critical national security functions.
“I make bold to say that I’m leaving the armed forces of Nigeria today, bigger, stronger, and more capable to deliver on its constitutional mandate and national security functions. ”
He said the military under his watch had significantly curbed the threat of terrorism and piracy, among others.
Irabor said, “In more specific terms, we have significantly curtailed the threats of terrorism, insurgency, piracy, sea robberies, vandalism of critical national assets and kidnappings, and military aid to civil authority.
“We successfully work in conjunction with other security agencies and stakeholders to deliver a physical security environment that is amenable for Law and Order, critical democratic processes, as well as human security and national development.”
He urged the citizens to be proud of the military and refrain from denigrating the service, adding that the military stood as a beacon of hope for the country.
Irabor said, “Without doubt, the nation should be proud of its military, to whom too many security concerns seem to now be consigned. I therefore state with a sense of responsibility but as a nation, we should avoid the deliberate or inadvertent inclination to denigrate the contributions of the armed forces to national security, unity, and stability. Our military stands as a beacon of hope, strength, and resilience in an increasingly complex world.”
