The veterans of the Nigerian Army have cause to look ahead for a better retirement life if the words of the Army hierarchy is anything to be taken seriously.
In other words, the nation may not be seeing or hearing of protest by the veterans over poor welfare among others, as the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt.-General Faruk Yahaya, has assured that the Nigerian Army would continue to have direct bearing on the lives and wellbeing of its veterans.
General Yahaya stated this at the Army Veterans Affairs Workshop in Kaduna. Yahaya was represented by Chief of Administration, Army Headquarters, Major- General Usman Mohammed, at the event, Leveraging Veterans’ Experience in Furtherance of Nigerian Army Operations.
He said: “While tackling the issue of insecurity as the main theme of this workshop, may I also inform you that the Nigerian Army will continue to have direct bearing on your lives and well-being as veterans, having meritoriously served our dear nation before your retirement and discharge.”
According to him, the ultimate objective of the workshop is to enhance the capacity of participants, both serving and retired, to effectively support his vision.
COAS’ vision is to “Build a Professional Nigerian Army Ready to Accomplish Assigned Missions within a Joint Environment in Defence of Nigeria.”
He explained that the second quarter edition of the seminar and workshop primarily focused on the Nigerian Army veterans, resident in the North-West and North-Central zones, especially at this critical time when the nation was faced with diverse but surmountable security challenges.
The COAS noted that there had been a recent upsurge in the activities of terrorists and bandits in parts of the country, resulting in loss of human and material resources stemming from daring attacks on villages, commuter roads and rail lines.
“Nigerian Army, under my watch, has continued to review its operations for effective engagements against these enemies of the state; we will still count on your cherished experience in support of our activities in your communities.
“You will all agree with me that through the combined efforts of all Nigerians, especially deliberate collaborations between those of us still serving and our retired personnel, as well as the civil populace, we are better positioned to tackle this menace of insecurity.
“I have also directed the selection of relevant topics in line with the theme of this seminar/workshop, in order to generate quality and result-oriented discussions during the interactive sessions.
“I urge you to bare your mind, bring out those special expertise and experience acquired over the years, and let us see how we can defeat this common enemy of peace and security in our country.
”You, the veterans, have major and unique roles to play in the current security situation, because you now live with the civilian populace, yet you are well experienced in various aspects of military combats and activities.”
He said it was an aberration for the criminals to continue to have freedom of action/passage in communities, where we have tested and experienced veterans that could easily foil their plots.