Insecurity: I will not accept excuses again, army chief warns commanders

Faruk Yahaya, the chief of army staff, has warned army commanders that he will no longer accept excuses in the war against insecurity in the country.

The army chief spoke on Monday at the opening ceremony of the ‘Combined Second and Third Quarter Chief of Army Staff Conference’ in Abuja.

Yahaya called on the commanders to motivate the troops to intensify their effort in all ongoing operations.

He said the army will make sure the troops are well equipped and well trained to tackle every threat to the country’s security.

“Commanders must, therefore, glean from my `Command Philosophy’ to ensure that operational and administrative proficiencies of Nigerian Army units and formations are sustained and improved upon,” he said.

“Commanders must seize initiative and commanders must take initiative, they must take decisive actions to defeat the threats in their respective areas of responsibilities (AORs).

“I will not again take or accept no excuses. Gentlemen, failure is failure irrespective of the circumstances.

“I will ensure that through functional training, officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are equipped with the right attitude, competences and skills to effectively undertake daring missions in addition to developing special operations forces.

“This would be closely followed by procurement that ensures appropriate kitting and provision of protective gear, weapons, equipment and platforms.

“Let me however remind you all that while no effort will be spared in achieving these goals, it is command responsibility to ensure the sustenance and maintenance of all equipment.

“We must therefore strive to improve our maintenance culture to prolong the life span of our platforms and equipment.”