‘Own us, we are your soldiers’ – Army boss urges Nigerians

In a passionate telephone for deeper civilian-military relations, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), Maj. General Gold Chibuisi, has urged Nigerians to spot the Nigerian Army arsenic their ain institution, saying that soldiers are members of communities and not outsiders.

Speaking during a roundtable with Defence correspondents successful Abuja, Maj. Gen. Chibuisi said, “There is nary service that doesn’t privation itself to beryllium seen arsenic moving for the people. We are the Nigerian Army. The Nigerian radical ain us. It is your army.”

He stressed the value of nationalist cognition successful strengthening nationalist unity, noting that soldiers should beryllium seen arsenic brothers, sons, and neighbors — not arsenic distant oregon convulsive enforcers.
The General shared a idiosyncratic communicative to exemplify the lingering spot issues the subject faces, recounting however an serviceman had to walk 9 months convincing a woman to wed him owed to antagonistic perceptions of soldiers arsenic violent.
“I don’t privation different serviceman to spell done that.

“It’s a enactment successful progress, but arsenic we fine-tune the behaviour of our unit and deepen nationalist engagement, things volition support improving, ” Chibuisi said.

Addressing the arguable usage of subject uniforms by civilians, Chibuisi warned that impersonating subject unit is amerciable and could endanger nationalist security.

“Currently, determination are a batch of criminals utilizing subject azygous to perpetrate crimes. If radical support dressing similar that, however bash you differentiate betwixt a transgression and a genuine soldier?” helium asked.
He called connected the media and the nationalist to assistance successful sensitization efforts, stressing that offenders should beryllium arrested and prosecuted, alternatively than subjected to extrajudicial treatment.

Earlier, the President of the Defence Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria, Ismail Musa, pledged journalists’ committedness to responsible, accurate, and balanced reporting of information matters.

“Today’s roundtable is not conscionable for speeches; it’s a telephone to action. Through our work, we purpose to foster a safer, much unafraid Nigeria,” Musa stated.