Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole, Chief of Defence Civil-Military Relations at Defence Headquarters, has advised Nigerians not to be afraid of soldiers in uniform, pointing out that their purpose is to defend the populace.
“People should not be afraid of people in uniform; the men in uniform are there to protect you,” Bankole stated on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program. There is that sensitisation from the NDA to the NDC, even from the Zaria depot.
“The military career is a noble career; the military career is to help the society; apart from protecting the territorial integrity of the society, we are protecting humans,” he said.
He said that with the trajectory that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has set now, the military will earn its respect from the populace.
Bankole, acknowledged that there are underlying issues that caused the incident, adding that the behaviour seen in the video does not, in any way, represent the attitude of the military.
“What happened at Ikeja Disco is being viewed seriously at the Defence Headquarters and headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force. Whatever sanctions need to be meted out will be.
“But there is no tolerance for that kind; the underlying issues between the Air Force and the IKDC are being tackled,” Rear Admiral Bankole said.
He said the military has stepped up its sensitisation programmes, informing the people that the military is there to protect them always. He reiterated the need for a good relationship between the military and the civilians, saying that the military needs intelligence from the people to carry out its functions.
