The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, on Monday visited Sokoto to celebrate this year’s Christmas with troops of the Operation Hadarin Daji, at Gingiya Barracks, Sokoto.
Speaking while addressing the troops, the Army Chief commended them for putting in their best in the fight against insecurities within the state and beyond.
“I therefore send my goodwill messages to the troops and their families with a sense of pride and appreciation. I want to congratulate the troops for making it this far into the year and for weathering all big storms that came our way.
“As we celebrate this Christmas and the New Year season, I want to take a moment to express my genuine respect and act of gratitude to our gallant troops for their unwavering dedication and sacrifice in ensuring the safety and security of our great nation.
“I commend your courage and resilience in the face of adversity on the Nigerian states, it is part of this that they cannot makes it come down to Sokoto to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones, it is not as if they don’t want to but because they are duty bound to stand on ground and safeguard our villages and Hamlet.
“They have the responsibility to stand on ground, while other families are celebrating Christmas together, they are celebrating their own on the field or their cantonment.”
While commending the people and government of the state for their support to the security agents, he assured that in no distant period, peace will be restored in all the troubled parts of the state.
He also called on the residents of the state to give adequate and timely information to the troops so as to enable them tackle a series of insecurity menaces facing the state.
He said the leadership of the Nigerian Army has designed so many measures to encourage troops in the field. “Some of these measures are tangible while some are intangibles, the physical ones that are called tangible are induction of more combat enablers, we are going to bring more vehicles, we are going to bring more equipment to enable our troops go after the criminals.
“The intangible ones are what you can see physically here, for the Chief of Army Staff to come physically on Christmas day to meet with the troops and encourage them to do more. Overall, I believe the troops will continue to record successes and return peace back to Sokoto and beyond, ” he added.
Lagbaja and his management team further used the occasion to assure wives and loved ones of the troops who are currently on the field that as the Chief of Army Staff, it is his desire to ensure the troops returned back home safely.
He said in the coming years, the Nigerian Army is expected to take delivery of more helicopters and other combat equipment that will ensure better secured environments.
According to him, the Army headquarters has initiated several welfare programs that will directly impact the lives of soldiers and their families.
COAS noted that with the support of the Executives and Legislative arms of government, the Army headquarters will be able to boost the physical and moral components of our fighting power towards a more efficient level.
He added that the troops is ready to work with all sister security agencies in order to ensure the return of peace and tranquility to every parts of the country.
. TheWitness
