Former Defence Minister, Theophilus Danjuma, has urged the military to end the lingering insecurity and stop the killings in many parts of the country.
Danjuma who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the public presentation of a book, ‘Big Boots: Lessons from My Military Service’, authored by Solomon Udounwa, a retired major general, tasked service chiefs to end terrorism and banditry to restore peace in the country.
He said, “The number one problem today is security, and we must end the pandemic, stop the killings that are going on in our country as soon as possible.
“Those of you who are still serving no excuses and absolutely none.”
He commended the efforts of the leadership of the military in tackle insecurity.
Danjuma also lauded the armed forces for demonstrated excellence in managing pension schemes.
In his remarks, the Chief of Defence Statff (CDS), Christopher Musa, said the military is working assiduously to restore peace nationwide, adding that the troops would uphold service, integrity, and honor, defining their noble tradition.
“We shall not be deterred. Yes, there will be challenges, but that’s why we are here. I want to assure you that we have learnt lot from your record as very distinguished senior officers who have guided us over the years. We cannot afford to fail, and we will not fail”, Musa said.
Also speaking, the author, Udounwa, said he wrote the book to share his life stories with the younger generation.
He noted that his military background showed him the value of learning from experience adding that younger military officers need past generations’ experiences to learn strategy and effective management.
“I hope they will learn that to serve in the military requires discipline, requires professionalism, requires integrity, requires character, requires courage, and so many other virtues that an officer must display while undertaking his duties.
“Then, when I joined the military, because my feet are very big, I was also given big boots, which went with me everywhere I served and which I used in trampling on terrorists and every other threat to our national security,” he said.
The occasion was attended by Tukur Buratai, a former chief of army staff (COAS), Lucky Irabor, a former chief of defence staff (CDS), Faruk Yahaya, a former chief of army staff (COAS), and other serving and retired top military officers.
