Buhari gives new service chiefs few weeks to perform

President Muhammadu Buhari, has told the new service chiefs that they only have a few weeks to secure the country.

The president gave the charge after decorating the new service chiefs with their new ranks at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Buhari said he expected that before the rainy season, they would have secured the country to the level that farmers who had fled their farms in different parts of Nigeria would have enough confidence to return to their farms.

Those decorated with their new ranks include the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amoo.

He directed them to identify competent officers irrespective of seniority or qualification and deploy them appropriately to achieve the target.

The President said, “During our four-hour security meeting, I have taken the responsibility as the Commander-in-Chief for you to go out into the field and secure the country.

“I have accepted responsibility for your action on the field. It is up to you to identify your competent officers irrespective of seniority and paper qualification and deploy them to make sure that we secure this country.

“You have got a few weeks to do that because by the rainy season, we expect people to develop confidence and go back to their land so that we don’t get into trouble by being away from the field and therefore unable to produce enough food for the nation.

“We all look forward to you to perform and I as the Commander-in-Chief, I am backing you 100 per cent and I expect you to effectively deploy your officers and men to secure the country.”

The President told the service chiefs to see their appointment, confirmation by the National Assembly and decoration as a vote of confidence in them.

“For those (of you) that have been confirmed by this ceremony, the decoration, in front of your spouses, is a further confidence loudly expressed in you on behalf of the nation, to respond to the insecurity the country is in, and the nation looks up to you for rapid relief,” he said.