The Minister of Defence, Magashi Bashir, has revealed the President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Government’s plan to commence the recruitment of new, fresh, and active Officers and Soldiers across the country, very soon,
Speaking at the Headquarters of the Theatre Command, in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, when he led the Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor, as well as other Service Chiefs on an operational visit, the Minister of Defence said that the move is part of the government’s strategy to meet up manpower shortfalls, as the country battles insurgency and banditry.
The Minister stated that the motive of the visit was to assess the fighting spirit of the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, and also to motivate them.
While addressing the troops, Magashi intimated them of the government’s plan to recruit more hands to relieve battle fatigued Soldiers.
His words: “Very soon, we will embark on the recruitment of other Soldiers and Officers, so that we improve the manpower holding of our Armed Forces.
“We will bring new equipment, new skills, in which I will like all of you to benefit from, to enable you to be more proficient, more effective in this assignment you are doing. We have lost time; we are now almost ten years in this operation.
“There are many other operations that we are doing in terms of banditry and other things in this country, and I am sure that given the right tools, you will do this country proud. We believe in you, your training, professionalism, and we believe you can do the country the requirements of beating the boko haram as we have it now.
“There are a lot of you outside in other places both in the Northw-West, North Central, and even in the South-West, and South-East. Please see this as a sacrifice, see this profession as the profession that it only God you should fear.”
Speaking further, the Defence Minister told Journalists that the government takes the welfare of the troops serious, hence the directive for proper documentation of all issues.
He added: “We have already directed that all their problems be put on the paper, to enable us to study it and come up with a plan.
“We have also studied their requirements, and we have come here to verify, and see how best we can proceed so that we can end this war.”