President Bola Tinubu has pledged to use his constitutional powers to ensure that the Nigerian military is properly funded and ready to carry out its constitutional responsibilities in protecting the country.
On a Friday in Abuja, Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, assured the audience during the graduation ceremony of National Defence College (NDC) Course 31 participants of his commitment.
In his statement, he lauded the Armed Forces of Nigeria as a symbol of national excellence. He gave his assurance that the government would continue to honour the sacrifices and commitment of the heroic men and women who serve in the military.
He said,
- “Our dear country is faced with the flora of challenges including insecurity, social economic hiccups, climate change and migratory issues, ‘the so-called Japa syndrome’.
- “We are confronted by systematic corruption, crude oil theft, reduced national productivity, weak infrastructure, weak revenue base, and rising domestic and external debt among others.
- “Those challenges demand creative and purposeful driving leadership to mitigate.
- “Since coming into office, I have rolled up my sleeves myself to confront and address them frontally and we shall overcome with the special grace of God.”
Policy Direction to Tackle Insecurity
In his address, the president also highlighted his commitment to revitalizing the Nigerian economy for both prosperity and inclusive growth through significant policy actions, including the removal of oil subsidies and the liberalization of foreign exchange rates
Mentioning a restructuring of leadership within the armed forces and police, among other changes, he aimed to bring a new perspective to tackling security challenges. He urged the participants to return to their respective services and agencies and align with the vision of the recently appointed leadership.
Tinubu said the world was currently faced with myriads of threats such as the disruptive effect of emerging technologies, cyber threats, and unconstitutional change of government in the African sub-region.
Speaking further, he stressed the need for the military to work alongside governments in West Africa to develop resilience against the ongoing democratic downturn and to ramp up their support and mitigation measures for a wide range of challenges
- “I am banking on you to provide creative leadership solutions towards addressing those national, regional and global challenges,” he added.
