President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the Nigerian
military authorities to identify the officers and soldiers who are
sabotaging the ongoing counter- terrorism and counter-insurgency
campaign in the North-east.
The President, who told the military authorities on Wednesday to
identify the soldiers and officers that are committed to the country’s
war against the sect members, directed the military to remove saboteurs.
ThisDay reports that Mr. President while speaking at the unveiling and inauguration of the National Cenotaph at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, assured Nigerians that government would always remember those who had served the country especially the military and para-military officers who paid the supreme price for the country to be in peace.
Jonathan, who spoke at the solemn event further stated that it was the duty of the military high command to identify officers who could betray their colleagues thereby leading to the death of the troops.
“I am not saying there are no black legs among us. There are definitely few cases where some people exhibit behaviour that is a bit abhorrent, not expected of them to do so. It is the duty of the officers to detect those who are committed to this country early enough, so that those who would create problem for them, those who would betray others and lead to massive death of officers and men if the military when they are in operations are removed from service early enough. If we are able to filter among ourselves and identify these people, they may be deployed in different ways. I am not advocating for retirement of people except if it is very clear somebody has committed an offence, but soldiers must be trusted, soldiers cannot betray themselves, cannot betray the troops and if anybody suspected to have this kind of inclination, the best thing is to redeploy that person in position that he will not be an enemy to his colleagues,” Jonathan said.
The President asserted that the names of the officers and men who were deployed to these various operations like ‘Operation restore peace’, ‘Operation zamin lafia, ‘Operation beyona’ and had paid the ultimate price should be on the cenotaph.
“I believe in most cases this may be the only link between them and future generation, their children and grand-children,” he said.Mr. President who reiterated that the project was dear to him, explained that the cenotaph was a memorial for the remembrance of the past heroes, adding that in the future, there may even be a bigger museum that photographs of some of the gallant officers would be displayed so that future generations would know of their various contributions to the nation.
He commended the Nigerian armed forces and other security agencies for all their efforts in ensuring that the country remained one.
Speaking earlier at the event, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, remarked that the sacrifices being made by the men and women in uniform was in line with the oath taken to defend the country against internal and external aggression.
Badeh while speaking on the ongoing counter insurgency in the North-eastern part of the country said the cenotaph served as a symbol of the gratitude of Nigeria and Nigerians to the officers for their sacrifices.
It was reported that the President presented emblem to about 10 officers who represented the various officers who had participated in the various operations.
Meanwhile, following reports of growing moles in the nation’s military ranks, it would be recalled that the Nigerian army officials recently hinted that a series of trials and convictions of soldiers by the court martial substantially improved discipline in the institution.
President Goodluck Jonathan
ThisDay reports that Mr. President while speaking at the unveiling and inauguration of the National Cenotaph at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, assured Nigerians that government would always remember those who had served the country especially the military and para-military officers who paid the supreme price for the country to be in peace.
Jonathan, who spoke at the solemn event further stated that it was the duty of the military high command to identify officers who could betray their colleagues thereby leading to the death of the troops.
“I am not saying there are no black legs among us. There are definitely few cases where some people exhibit behaviour that is a bit abhorrent, not expected of them to do so. It is the duty of the officers to detect those who are committed to this country early enough, so that those who would create problem for them, those who would betray others and lead to massive death of officers and men if the military when they are in operations are removed from service early enough. If we are able to filter among ourselves and identify these people, they may be deployed in different ways. I am not advocating for retirement of people except if it is very clear somebody has committed an offence, but soldiers must be trusted, soldiers cannot betray themselves, cannot betray the troops and if anybody suspected to have this kind of inclination, the best thing is to redeploy that person in position that he will not be an enemy to his colleagues,” Jonathan said.
The President asserted that the names of the officers and men who were deployed to these various operations like ‘Operation restore peace’, ‘Operation zamin lafia, ‘Operation beyona’ and had paid the ultimate price should be on the cenotaph.
“I believe in most cases this may be the only link between them and future generation, their children and grand-children,” he said.Mr. President who reiterated that the project was dear to him, explained that the cenotaph was a memorial for the remembrance of the past heroes, adding that in the future, there may even be a bigger museum that photographs of some of the gallant officers would be displayed so that future generations would know of their various contributions to the nation.
He commended the Nigerian armed forces and other security agencies for all their efforts in ensuring that the country remained one.
Speaking earlier at the event, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, remarked that the sacrifices being made by the men and women in uniform was in line with the oath taken to defend the country against internal and external aggression.
Badeh while speaking on the ongoing counter insurgency in the North-eastern part of the country said the cenotaph served as a symbol of the gratitude of Nigeria and Nigerians to the officers for their sacrifices.
It was reported that the President presented emblem to about 10 officers who represented the various officers who had participated in the various operations.
Meanwhile, following reports of growing moles in the nation’s military ranks, it would be recalled that the Nigerian army officials recently hinted that a series of trials and convictions of soldiers by the court martial substantially improved discipline in the institution.
It would also be recalled that scores of soldiers have been convicted of mutiny and sentenced to death over their refusal to join counter-terrorism operations.
Although there were criticisms from concerned Nigerians to the
aforementioned cases, alleging that the court martial did not follow due
process, but the army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Olajide Laleye, dismissed allegations that proceedings at the General Court Martial did not follow due process, saying the court martial was not a mushroom court.
No comments:
Post a Comment