Army chief seeks expertise of retired soldiers in fight against insurgency

Faruk Yahaya, chief of army staff, has called on retired soldiers to offer their expertise in the fight against insurgency.

Hundreds of people have been killed and over two million others displaced, following attacks by insurgents that have lasted for more than 10 years.

While speaking at the opening of the 2021 second quarter of the veterans’ affairs seminar/workshop in Plateau state, on Tuesday, Faruk, who was represented by Boniface Sinjen, director of army’s personnel services, said the retired soldiers have major roles to play toward tackling current security challenges.

He said the workshop, with the theme: ‘The Role of Nigerian Army Veterans in Nigeria’s National Security Architecture’, will afford the army the opportunity to tap from the experience of retired personnel.

“The importance of this seminar/workshop cannot be overemphasised, bearing in mind the special roles our retired/discharged colleagues play in the society, especially at a time like this when our nation is faced with diverse but surmountable security challenges,” he said.

“These challenges include activities of the Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), farmers/herdsmen clashes, banditry and kidnapping.

“I am particularly impressed with the selection of the theme for this workshop, which will provide a forum for us to tap into the wealth of experience of our veterans in tackling the issue of insecurity in Nigeria.

“This workshop is also aimed at broadening the knowledge of our veterans on their important roles in Nigerian national security. This is in line with my desire to uplift the standard of both serving and retired/discharged personnel, while diligently performing our constitutional role of securing the nation.

“This combined effort of all persons, especially those of us in uniform, both serving and retired, in securing our nation is further encapsulated in my vision for the Nigerian Army, which is to have a ‘professional Nigerian Army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in the defence of Nigeria’.

“So, I enjoin you all to use this unique opportunity provided by this seminar to dig into your kitbags, bring out those special expertise and experience acquired over the years, have engaging interactions with your colleagues and let us see how we can jointly defend Nigeria, our beloved country.”

The army chief also promised to continue to make welfare of retired officers a priority, adding that this is what necessitated the establishment of the veterans’ affairs directorate in the army headquarters.