President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday asserted that his administration’s target of improving the country’s security architecture has been achieved.
He stated this at the Nigerian Army Trooping and Present of Colours Parade 2023. According to Buhari, he achieved his target with upgrading of hardware, building of facilities, training, and equipping of staff and officers, and structuring of a welfare system that caters for more than 50,000 children of fallen heroes.
The ceremony was attended by former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
The president said he instituted the recruitment of 60,000 soldiers into the Armed Forces, and thousands graduated from the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) and other security institutions to tighten security.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, President Buhari presented 81 new, symbolic flags to the various units of the Army.
It reads: “At the inception of this administration, the country’s security situation was challenged by violent non-state actors. Today, I am pleased to specially note that the situation has improved. We have made remarkable progress in the fight against insurgents, militants, oil bunkers, kidnappers, and other criminal elements.
“This administration has achieved a remarkable transformation of the military in the areas of fighting power, training, operations, manpower, remunerations, and medical services. These are in addition to maintenance efficiency, accommodation, and expansion of forces. The improvements have collectively enhanced the Army’s capacity to effectively carry out its constitutional mandate.”
President Buhari, who endorsed 81 flags for the Army’s various units, added: “The fighting power of our military was at low ebb as of May 2015. However, seven years later, its fighting power has increased significantly making it fourth in ranking among African militaries as against seventh in 2015.”
He noted that interventions and yearly budgetary allocations to the Army, between 2020 and 2022 alone, had been able to procure hundreds of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, Troops Carrying Vehicles, utility vehicles, tanks, and Armoured Personnel Carriers to augment those earlier procured.
“From 2017 to 2022, significant numbers of new fighting and utility vehicles, with supporting artillery guns, machine guns, rifles, and corresponding ammunition were acquired and inducted into various theatres of operations. This translates to a significant increment in the Army’s equipment holding since 2015.
“With the significant improvement in the fighting power, the Army was empowered to rejig its operations. Accordingly, the Army has restructured the conduct of its operations to meet current realities.”
On infrastructural development, the President said the administration had made determined efforts to surmount the deficit in accommodation and other amenities. “As the strength of the Army increased, special interventions were made to construct new barracks accommodations and renovate the old ones. So far, hundreds of new blocks of accommodation were built and thousands of the old housing units were renovated and remodeled in various formations and units across the country between 2016 and 2022.
“Currently, massive construction works are ongoing in the new Muhammadu Buhari Barracks, Abuja, and other barracks to provide the requisite offices, houses, and facilities to cater for the increasing strength of the Army personnel,” he noted.
Buhari hailed the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, other service chiefs and heads of all paramilitary organisations for their commitment and selfless service to this nation. He noted that the colors he presented to the units were revered symbols of the identity of a unit, and display of a regiment’s battle honors or those inherited from predecessors while playing huge roles in the operational successes of their regiments.
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