The recently appointed service chiefs have made a commitment to uphold human rights as they carry out their constitutional responsibilities.
They have also pledged to address the prevailing insecurity challenges in the country.
During their visit to the Ministry of Defence in Abuja on Monday, the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Musa, spoke on behalf of the other service chiefs and emphasized that the armed forces, under his leadership, would conduct their duties in a professional manner while respecting human rights.
Musa further encouraged the citizens to view the armed forces as their own, implying a sense of shared ownership and collaboration in addressing the security issues faced by the nation.
Musa said, “To the civilians, the Armed forces are for you and we will do whatever it takes to ensure Nigeria thrives.
“We are committed to what we have been tasked to do. While doing this, we are going to respect human rights. We can assure you that we are going to be very professional in our approach.
“We assure you all that we are here and we are committed to ensuring that we achieve the mandate of the president.”
Musa also promised himself and the service chiefs would bring about peace that children would be proud of.
He said, “We want Nigeria to be peaceful. We grew up when Nigeria was peaceful and we know what it looks like and we want to ensure that our children will be proud of the country during our time.”
During the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Ibrahim Kana, highlighted the ongoing military reform efforts.
He mentioned that in a bid to enhance the military’s effectiveness, the previous government had granted approval for the establishment of Octagon.
Kana said, “The MOD has developed activities to key into the affairs of the new government, specifically the reform of the armed forces, which the past government approved and we have commenced implementation.
“One of them is the establishment of Octagon; you know, in America, we have the Pentagon. In Nigeria, our leaders that came together chose Octagon, a situation where civilians and military work hand in hand to see to the provision of security to the nation.”
He also said the military would support the Federal Government to ensure the growth of the economy.
Kana said, “We are committed to the deep blue services of Nigeria. Nigeria is surrounded by water. Some countries heavily depend on the blue economy, which we have not tapped. Hence, we are committed to supporting the government.”
