The Nigerian army has warned soldiers against adopting desperate measures to overcome current economic challenges in the country.
David Ahmadu, chief of training and operation, army headquarters, gave the warning in a message at the graduation regimental dinner for direct short service course 23 of Nigeria army school of infantry Jaji, Kaduna state.
He told the graduating officers that the economic situation was temporary and there were measures adopted by the government to reposition the economy.
“As the economic reforms progress, our country is bound to witness falling living standard for the majority of the population in the short term. The armed forces cannot be an exception,” he said.
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“Hardship occasioned by the economic reforms may drive some personnel to adopt desperate measures to sustain their livelihood.”
Ahmadu advised the officers “to detect who among your men are desperate and who may be driven by hardship, fear of the unknown or greed to commit crime.
“It is your task to identify the desperate personnel, counsel them and if it is not possible to change them, show them the way out of the system before they harm the institution,” he said.
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He also spoke on the need for upcoming leaders in the military to be mindful of the rights of the civil populace and the rule of law in the course of their military engagements.
“Your generation will find that its conduct of military operations including training will become increasingly subject to questions of human right and the rule of law,” he said.
“Higher standards will now be demanded of your troops to act with greater restraint even in the face of obvious provocation.
“You must learn media management skills, which will enable you exploit the growing power of the mass media rather than trying to fight it.
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“You will now find, unlike before, that an obscure action of a soldier, under you could redefine the entire perception and character of your operation because the media will define it for you.”
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