Agency Report
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt..-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has assured Nigerians of the Nigerian Army’s commitment to combating all threats and ensuring peace across Nigeria in the foreseeable future.
Lagbaja gave the assurance during the Inter-denominational Church Service in commemoration of the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2024 on Sunday in Abuja.
He said the threats that Nigeria was facing as a nation were complex and adaptive, assuring that the troops were adapting to the situation.
“I would say we are one step ahead of the threats and in doing so we have been able to restore peace to some parts of the country, ” he said.
He said that in the areas where the army was still experiencing challenges, the authorities were reviewing the situation.
“We are tweaking with our strategy and the troops are raring to go and we will continue to provide the necessary support to the troops in the front line.
“My pledge to the nation is that the army will continue to be up and doing, the troops will continue to combat the threat and in the foreseeable future we will experience peace all across the nation,” he said.
The COAS called on Nigerians to continue to support the army by providing information, moral, spiritual and whatever support to enable it to address the situation.
Lagbaja said, “With this support, the soldiers in the front line will be motivated to give their all in the defence of the nation and in doing that, we will experience sustainable peace across the nation.”
He thanked the clergy for their diligence in lifting holy hands in prayers on behalf of the Nigerian army families, particularly those in the front lines and the families they left behind.
Lagbaja also congratulated officers and men of the army and members of their families as it marked its 161 years since its inception and counted its successes.
He said the service had experienced wars, low-intensity conflicts, and military operations other than war, such as peacekeeping/peace enforcement and military aid to civil authority engagements.
The army chief said Nigeria today boasts of a force that is globally reckoned with, renowned for its tenacity and adaptability and a force that is victory-focused.
He added that the Nigerian army understood the underlying spiritual component of fighting power, and ascribed battle successes to God as conspicuously captured by its motto: “Victory is from God Alone.”
“I believe it is in recognition of the place of thankfulness to God for the past year and the need to seek divine guidance and blessings for a new year that our forefathers initiated the NADCEL religious activities.
“Therefore, our gathering today is to thank the Almighty for His guidance over the past year and seek His continued blessings, grace, and favour.
“Like the eagle bird that symbolises strength in the army logo, we have congregated before the Almighty to renew our strength to soar higher and accomplish missions in the new year,” he said.
Lagbaja said that the NADCEL Church service was also to commemorate the fallen warriors, celebrate the living and pray for a brighter future for the Nigerian army.
He urged all to keep praying for the repose of the souls of their beloved colleagues who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty defending the nation as well as for the recovery of the growing population of wounded-in-action warriors.
The Director, Chaplain Services (Roman Catholic), Nigerian Army, Brig..-Gen. Anthony Maimagani, said the theme of the Interdenominational Church Service was, ‘Integrating Religious Morals in the Society: Imperative in Combating Contemporary Security Challenges in a Joint Environment’.
Maimagani said the Nigerian army believed that victory only comes from God as encapsulated in its motto.
He said it was God that guided personnel and gave them inner courage to fight to overcome the enemy.
According to him, prayer is a key thing in their lives as they struggle with insecurity in the country.
“That is why we talk about a non kinetic way of dealing with this insecurity and prayer is one aspect of dealing with such insecurity,” he said.