Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, on Tuesday in Sokoto decried the rising cases of drug abuse among soldiers deployed in the various theatres of operation especially the frontline soldiers involved in the fight against terrorists and bandits.
General Lagbaja, who spoke while declaring open a one-day seminar on Warrior Ethos organised by the Department of Army Transformation and Innovation with the theme “Optimising Warrior Ethos in the Nigerian Army: A Panacea for Operational Effectiveness,” expressed the hope that the seminar would address the issue of drug abuse among soldiers, among other issues.
Represented by the acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 8 Division, Brigadier General Ibikunle Ajose, the COAS assured troops of Operation Hadarin Daji in Sokoto State of continued support in the provision of needed logistics and guidance in order to ensure the success of their operations.
According to Lagbaja: “I can assure you of my continuous support to provide the much-needed logistics and guidance required for the execution of your tasks.
“The Nigerian Army has continued to review its tactics, techniques and procedures in order to come up with both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to defeat these challenges.
“This seminar was, therefore, premised on the need to improve the capacity of the Nigerian Army personnel towards enhancing warrior ethos and the battle-winning mentality.
“It will also highlight the threats of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism in Nigeria. Related News
“In addition, the prevailing incidence of drug and substance abuse among troops deployed in theatres of operation has become quite worrisome and necessitates troops’ awareness in a bid to enhance combat effectiveness.”
Lagbaja urged Commanders at all levels to continue to come up with innovative ideas to upscale their approaches towards improving man management and battle readiness, which, he said, was in line with his command philosophy for the Nigerian Army.
Commending the Department of Army Innovation and Transformation for organising the seminar which he said would raise necessary operational and situational awareness of the troops, the COAS stated: “I implore you all to remain innovative and committed. By so doing, you will have helped to raise the standard that the Nigerian Army requires to deliver on its constitutional mandate. This event is, therefore, timely and will avail participants a better understanding of the key issues to improve on operational effectiveness.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief of Transformation and Innovation from the Army Headquarters, Major General Zakari Abubakar, assured the COAS that the department would continue to direct, engage and not relent in efforts towards the realisation of pillars of the COAS command philosophy.
“The seminar is organised to optimise the leadership capacity of junior and middle-class officers as well as to intensify warrior ethos and check the menace of drug and substance abuse among the troops,” Abubakar said.