I will not back down in my efforts to protect and safeguard Nigeria — Tinubu 

On Monday, President Bola Tinubu promised that he would not give up the fight to keep Nigeria safe and that he would give the armed forces the resources they need to drive out the country’s troublemakers.

At the 2023 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Maiduguri, Borno State, the President delivered a speech.

According to a statement released by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, the President said that he will prevail in the fight to secure Nigeria and that he has no intention of giving up or resting on his laurels in the process.

In addition to praising the Nigerian Army’s dedication to maintaining national security, Tinubu emphasised the army’s duty as a defender of constitutional order during elections and asked it to continue being nonpartisan but watchful in preserving democratic values.

“The Armed Forces’ professional behaviour throughout the elections in the states of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi highlights your responsibility as a defender of our democratic principles and constitutional order. In this sense, the Nigerian Army must continue to be apolitical yet steadfastly democratic.

We are also pleased to see how many civilian-military projects there are in the nation, some of which will be put into service during this conference.

“These projects serve the practical objective of tangibly improving the living conditions of the people, in addition to fostering deeper affinity and mutual understanding between the military and civilian population,” the President stated.

President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to advancing the ongoing modernization process within the military, with a focus on improving mobility, communications, and offensive striking capabilities. He cited the recent acquisition of new aircraft as evidence of his resolve to upgrade national defence capability.

Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, told the President that ongoing military operations around the nation had considerably reduced the power of criminal elements while also containing farmer-herder crises in different regions.

“Even with these successes, we understand the value of ongoing assessment, and this meeting will be crucial in developing long-term plans to support our capacity to fulfil our constitutional obligation in 2024,” the Army Chief stated.