The new Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has on Wednesday,
He added that curbing banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, and secession, would be a very difficult task, without the required weapons and other hardware at the disposal of the Nigerian Army and other Security Agencies.
He called on the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, consider these critical needs, as they require proper funding.
The COAS made these revelations and demands when the Senate Committee on Army, led by its Chairman, Senator Ali Ndume, visited the Army Headquarters, in Abuja, as part of oversight functions.
His words: “To curb and finally defeat these threats, the Nigerian Army requires equipment, weapons, armour fighting vehicles, platforms, and various combat enablers.
“As we all know, Nigeria is faced with a lot of security challenges that include insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and part of North Central, as well as secessionist agitations in the South-East and South-South geo-political zones of the country.
“I urge you to, as a matter of urgency, consider these critical needs as you legislate and appropriate funds. I will be counting on your support, so that we can efficiently perform our constitutional roles and defeat all our threats.”
The COAS added that the visit was timely, “because it affords us the opportunity to interact and discuss issues that would impact on the funding of Nigerian Army activities and operations, while also strengthening the cordial relationship between the National Assembly and Army Headquarters”.
While appreciating the Chairman and members of the Senate Committee on Army for “the relentless support extended to me during the process leading to my confirmation as the Chief of Army Staff”, Attahiru said that the Nigerian Military Leadership “remains apolitical, and committed to the protection of democracy and good governance in Nigeria”.
In his remarks, Senator Ali Ndume stated that the purpose of the visit was to have a close understanding of the issues and needs of the Nigerian Army, and to find a way to address them.
He said that the Army has a daunting task of mitigating the various security challenges confronting the country, adding that, the National Assembly plays an important role in terms of giving the necessary legislative support to the Military.
His words: “Fortunately, we understand that the supplementary budget will be laid before the National Assembly to take care of some of the loopholes and lapses that we saw in the 2021 budget, and knowing the new security challenges that we are facing in various regions.”
More news later…