- * Gives Them Few Weeks Marching Order To Free The Nation From Insecurity
By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief) @CeleOkaf11
Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, has promoted the new Service Chief and decorated them with their new ranks. The security chiefs were personally decorated by the President on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in a short ceremony fully participated by their wives who assisted the President in the decoration.
The officers decorated are: Major General Lucky Irabor (Chief of Defence Staff) who becomes a full four-star General; Major General Ibrahim Attahiru (Chief of Army Staff) elevated to the next rank of Lieutenant General; Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo (Chief of Naval Staff) who is now a Vice Admiral and Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao (Chief of Air Staff), now an Air Marshal.
Shortly after the decoration of the new Service Chiefs, President Buhari charged them to hasten actions in ensuring that the country was freed from her present state of insecurity. He specifically gave the security chiefs a presidential marching order to free the country from insecurity in few weeks, before the rainy season sets in, as the Federal Government expects people, especially farmers, to return to their farmlands.
Buhari made it very clear to the Service Chiefs that he would provide them with one hundred per cent Presidential backing to wipe the country off the bandits, insurgents, Kidnappers, and all manner of terrorist elements, "so that we don’t get into trouble by being away from the field and therefore unable to produce enough food for the nation".
The President continued: "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”. He told the Service Chiefs to see their appointment, clearance, and decoration as a vote of confidence on them.
The President said; “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, and the nation looks up to you for rapid relief.”
Buhari assured the Service Chiefs that as the nation's Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he would fully and firmly support them as to deliver on their new 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”.
While responding on behalf of the other Service Chiefs, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor however assured the President that they will not fail in their responsibilities as their mandate is very clear to them. Irabor said; “Nigeria will have peace again. Based on the mandate, we will address all issues, working with all other security organizations”. NNL.
