The immediate payment of insurance benefits owed to the families of officers and soldiers who died while defending the country has been ordered by President Bola Tinubu.
This was announced by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, on Tuesday in Abuja at the start of the Combined Second and Third Quarters COAS Conference.
Army field commanders and leaders of institutions and establishments are said to be present at the conference.
Lagbaja declared that the wellbeing of the military and its members was of utmost significance and promised to combine all current welfare programs in order to improve the welfare of the military and its members and keep them focused on their duties.
“In addition to providing befitting living quarters for our personnel, we shall ensure the newly introduced ‘Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers Scheme’ designed to provide affordable and high-quality post-service homes for our soldiers work.
“We shall also ensure that our injured warriors get the best medical care and continue to support the widows and next-of-kin of our fallen heroes.”
Lagbaja appreciated President Tinubu for directing that all pending insurance payments owed to the families were paid without delay, and for his strategic guidance of the Armed Forces.
“On behalf of the officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army, I want to reiterate our unalloyed loyalty and pledge our total commitment to the defence of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS asked army men to continue collaborating with other security organizations to firmly address the security issues the nation is currently experiencing.
His command philosophy was to “transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained force, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment,” he explained to the audience.
The conference was intended for the commanders to brainstorm on the state of the Nigerian army and build plans for future engagements, according to the conference’s chief of policy and plans, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Ibrahim, in his address.
Ibrahim claimed that the conference provided the COAS with a place to physically explain his command ethos to the field commanders and leaders of institutions and establishments.
He claimed that the army’s kinetic activities in numerous theatres of operations had continued to achieve unparalleled success, just as the non-kinetic initiatives had continued to produce favourable results.
“We are encouraged not to be demoralised by the incident in Niger State, but intensify our efforts to make the adversaries to continuously pay for their sins until they disappear or surrender.
”This conference is designed to provide us with a platform to reflect on achievements while appraising our operations and activities in the second and third quarters of this year in order to obtain plans that align with our overall goals.
“It will also provide us the unique opportunity to engage in honest discussions and insightful conversations and decisions that will guarantee more successes in our operations,” he said.
NAN reports that Lagbaja used the occasion to present new Toyota Hilux vehicle each to eight Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) from different army units and formations.
NAN
