Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has charged the
military to be ready to lay down their lives in defending Nigeria.
He said men of the Nigerian Armed
Forces should not pride themselves in wearing the uniform alone but be prepared
to lay down their lives in defending the integrity of the country.
Osinbajo said this during the
passing out parade of Direct Short Services Course 28/2019 of the Nigerian Air
Force in Kaduna on Wednesday.
He said: “Given the quality of
training that you have received, I am confident that you will be able to cope
with the demanding tasks ahead. As you already know, this profession you have
chosen requires absolute discipline, loyalty and hard work. It is much more
than just securing a job, or earning a salary, and more than just getting the
chance to wear a coveted uniform or wield coveted weapons.
“This is the ultimate form of
civic service to defend the territorial integrity of your country and to put
your life on the line, for the safety and welfare of millions of your
countrymen and women. There is no nobler occupation than this one you have
chosen.
“You are passing out at a time
when our Nation is grappling with an insurgency in the Northeast, and the
challenges of kidnapping and armed banditry in other parts of the country. You
will, therefore, have to come to terms with the fact that the days, weeks and
months ahead of you, will be extremely busy as you fulfill your
responsibilities to the military and the Nation.
“While the Armed Forces have
effectively contained the territorial ambitions of the Boko Haram terrorists,
by substantially degrading their capacity to attack and wreak havoc, they
remain intent on shedding blood and sowing fear.
“There is also the threat of the
Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, in the Lake Chad Islands and part
of Southern Borno. Also, more often these days, these insurgents are focusing
on soft targets, opportunistic attacks on isolated military units, as well as,
on increasingly sophisticated propaganda, aimed at making them out to be more
organized and lethal than they really are.
“This ever-increasing reliance on
propaganda is a reminder that this is not only a ‘battleground’ war, but it is
also just as much an information-and-narrative war. Winning hearts and minds
have always been important in military warfare; it is even more so in a century
defined by information and communication technologies.
“As 21st century military
officers, how you project your strength and confidence to your enemies and the
world, especially using social and digital media tools, is as important as the
sophistication of the conventional arms and ammunition that you wield. But to
do so effectively also means that you must take the time and trouble to fully
understand the nature of the threats that confront us, the narratives and
philosophies that underline those threats.
“Distinguished guests, ladies and
gentlemen, as you all know, Boko Haram is not the only threat confronting us.
There are the clashes between crop farmers and pastoralists, as well as the
incidences of kidnapping, armed banditry and militancy.
“In recent weeks, the President in
collaboration with State governors has been reviewing the security architecture
of the country. This has involved not just the Armed Forces, but in particular,
the Police who have recently announced their community policing strategy. This
initiative involves the recruitment and training of policemen in each local
government and ensuring that such new policemen remain in their local
governments, working with local and traditional authorities, to maintain peace
and security.
“As the President has said, security
is a twenty-four-hour occupation, involving continuous investments in strategy
and innovation. We will continue to take all necessary measures to tackle all
forms of criminality across the country and to safeguard lives and property of
all Nigerians.
“The Nigerian Air Force will, as
part of the Armed Forces, continue to be at the forefront of our national
security interventions. I note in particular, the extremely successful
digitally accurate bombings of terrorist hideouts in April and the destruction
of Boko Haram mechanic workshop in Borno in May, the air strikes on Tumbun
Hamma on the fringes of Lake Chad, inflicted heavy casualties on ISWAP forces,
under Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE. In June, there were air strikes
on Sambisa Forest further eliminating insurgents
“It is particularly commendable
that you are adopting measures to ensure that the resources available to you
are used judiciously in a manner that delivers optimal results and maximum
value for money.
“I am aware that in line of
‘doing more with less’, which is one of the guiding philosophies of the Buhari
administration, several moribund assets of the Air Force, aircrafts in
particular, have been reactivated in the last four years, and a lot of effort
has gone into building local technical capacity to fix and maintain your
operational assets.
“In addition, the increasing
emphasis of the Nigerian Air Force on local innovation is noted. The recent
launch of the Tsaigumi, Nigeria’s first operational, locally-developed Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle, is confirmation that you are on the right path. I charge you to
continue to be open to innovative ideas and collaborations with academia and
the private sector.
“I would like to leave today’s
graduating cadets with this important reminder: this nation is great and can
only become greater. We are Africa’s largest economy by GDP, the States of
Nigeria have larger economies than many African States. We have become the last
frontier for major economic growth.
“We are the world’s largest
growers of cassava and yams, we are top 5 in the world in sorghum, millet and
we are approaching self-sufficiency in paddy rice production.
“Our potential in technology and
entertainment has been attracting huge attention. First is the market, at 174
million GSM phones, we are among the top ten telephone users in the world, and
we have the highest percentage of people who use the internet on their phones
in the world. We are also number 2 in mobile internet banking in the world and
there are 17million Nigerians on Facebook.
“Microsoft has announced that it
will establish a 100million dollar African Development Centre in Nigeria. We
are already building our own drones. But not only are we building drones, we
are also making spare parts for our aircrafts. We are manufacturing armoured
personnel carriers, and all sorts of different military platforms. All of these
are things that Nigerians are doing in this country.
“Just last week, we saw at the
Army Day, sophisticated minesweepers that are manufactured in this country. In
a few short years, this country will be, by far, the greatest military force in
Africa and certainly the most developed economy in Africa.
“All of these have been built on
the sacrifices of many with blood and sweat, especially men and women of the
Armed Forces. What will undermine our efforts now and in the future is
disunity. We must resist all those who are preaching narratives of divisions
along ethnic and religious lines. We must resist all who try to destroy our
present gains and in particular, our future. The future of our country is
bright, what we all need to do is to keep focus, not to allow anyone preach
division amongst us. If we remain stable and united, everything that we desire
for our great country will be ours.
“As I conclude this address, let
me commend the Chief of Air Staff for providing inspiring leadership for our
Air Force. His farsightedness and innovativeness have greatly advanced the
prestige and capacity of the Air Force.
“Our gratitude also goes to
everyone involved in the training that these graduating cadets have enjoyed
during their time here; the Air Officer Commanding, Ground Training Command;
the Commandant of the Military Training Centre, and all the hardworking men and
women who are the committed tutors and trainers.
“As the gatekeepers of a major
pipeline of talent for the Nigerian Armed Forces, I implore you to continually
strive to devise ways of improving the quality of training that you provide. To
the Governor of Kaduna State, thank you for being a welcoming and supportive
host to various units and bases of our Armed Forces.
“On our part as the Federal
Government, we will continue to give priority attention to the operational
requirements and the welfare of the personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“Finally, let me extend, on
behalf of the President, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President
Muhammadu Buhari and on behalf of the entire country, our heartfelt
congratulations to the graduating cadets. This is both the end of one important
journey and the start of another, longer and potentially, more fulfilling one.
We rejoice with you and with your families, friends and loved ones. You have
every reason to be proud of what you have achieved, and to look forward with
excitement to what the future holds for you.”
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