Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has charged the newly appointed service chiefs to speed up their actions towards rescuing the country from its present shackles of insecurity.
Buhari gave the charge at a ceremony to decorate the new service chiefs with their ranks at the State House Abuja, on Friday.
He said: ‘During our four-hour security meeting, on Tuesday, I had taken the responsibility as Commander-in-Chief for you to go out into the field and secure the country.
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Speaking further he said; ‘You have got a few weeks to do that because, by the rainy season, we expect people to develop confidence and go back to the land so that we don’t get into trouble by being away from the field and therefore unable to produce enough food for the nation.’
He advised the service chiefs to see their appointment, clearance, and decoration as a vote of confidence on them.
‘For those (of you) that have been confirmed by this ceremony, the decoration, in front of your spouses, is a further confidence loudly expressed on you on behalf of the nation, to respond to the insecurity the country is in, and the nation looks up to you for rapid relief,‘ he added.
The president assured them of his firm support as they deliver on their responsibilities. ‘I have accepted responsibility for your actions in the field; it’s up to you to identify your competent officers irrespective of seniority and paper qualification and deploy them to make sure that we secure this country.
‘We all look forward to you to perform and I as the Commander-in-Chief, I am backing you hundred percent, and I expect you to effectively deploy your officers and men to secure the country,’ the President said.
Responding, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, who spoke on behalf of the other service chiefs, assured the president that they would not fail in their responsibilities as the mandate is clear.
‘Nigeria will have peace again. Based on the mandate, we will address all issues, working with all other security organizations,’ he said.
The president also decorated Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru as Chief of Army Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo as Chief of Naval Staff and Air Marshal Isiaka Amao as Chief of Air Staff.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK