The prevailing insecurity in the country will end with sustained government efforts, says Major General Okechukwu Nkem Ugo (rtd).
General Ugo, the President of the 27 Short Service Combatant Course (Club 27) of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the 40th anniversary of the group, said the Federal Government has intensified efforts in combating the problem, adding that if the efforts are sustained, the menace would end.
According to him: “I believe Mr President is on top of the game and a lot of work is being done to equip the Nigerian Army to make sure that this insecurity is being brought down to the barest minimum. As you know, globally insecurity is a problem. And then, the issue of asymptomatic warfare, banditry, insurgency, is lucrative all over the world. What that means is that we (military) are overstretched around the country.
”There were times we had minimal internal security issues. But today, you see that all over the country there are issues requiring the military. So, what we think is that the military needs to be expanded in terms of manpower. The manpower requirement of the Nigerian Army is higher now because of the challenges we are facing , and of course the government is trying to acquire more platforms to fight insecurity.”
As part of the group’s programme, a lecture was held for members titled: “Geriatric Health: Mind and Body,” and delivered by two resource persons, Professor Ehiz Odigie-Okpataku and Dr Okuobeya Davidson.
Professor Odigie-Okpataku, who spoke first, dwelt on diseases prevalent among older citizens, telling retired servicemen and the audience that as people grow older, the ability of their bodies to produce hormones and enzymes reduces and that this is responsible for some of the health challenges they face.
Listing some of the challenges to include pains of the muscle, tendon and joints, he noted that they also include memory loss, irregular heartbeats, erectile dysfunction, among others.
Professor Odigie-Okpataku also said that the human heart and brain would begin to die gradually once they are not supplied sufficient blood.
The danger about this, he warned, is that this deterioration may be going on without the person knowing it.
He called for regular medical checkups, balanced diet and regular/appropriate exercises.
Odigie-Okpataku equally advised against excessive consumption of alcohol which he said causes liver damage.
In her lecture, Dr Okuobeya Davidson urged retired servicemen to adjust their mind to the reality of life away from the military life they have been used to during their long service years.
According to her, difficulty in making this adjustment had brought a lot of medical and psychological problems for old/retired service persons.
