Esther Salifu
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has expressed concern over the rising incidence of drug and substance abuse among troops deployed in operation theaters.
Declaring open a one-day seminar on warrior ethos held in Sokoto, theme, “Optimising Warrior Ethos in the Nigerian Army: A Panacea for Operational Effectiveness.”Lagbaja called on commanders across all levels to think outside the box and develop innovative strategies to enhance their approaches to personnel management and battle preparedness.
COAS who was represented by the acting General Officer Commanding, 8 Division, Brig. Gen. Ibikunle Ajose, expressed the hope that the seminar would address the issue of drug abuse among soldiers, among other issues.
He said: “I can assure you of my continuous support to provide the much-needed logistics and guidance required for the execution of your tasks.“The Nigerian Army has continued to review its tactics, techniques and procedures in order to come up with both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to defeat these challenges.
“This seminar was, therefore, premised on the need to improve the capacity of the Nigerian Army personnel towards enhancing warrior ethos and the battle-winning mentality.
“It will also highlight the threats of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism in Nigeria.
“In addition, the prevailing incidence of drug and substance abuse among troops deployed in theatres of operation has become quite worrisome and necessitates troops’ awareness in a bid to enhance combat effectiveness.”
The event which was organised by the Department of Army Transformation and Innovation, Lagbaja commended the Department of Army Innovation and Transformation for organising the seminar, which he said would raise necessary operational and situational awareness of the troops.
“I implore you all to remain innovative and committed. By so doing, you will have helped to raise the standard that the Nigerian Army requires to deliver on its constitutional mandate. This event is, therefore, timely and will avail participants a better understanding of the key issues to improve on operational effectiveness,” Lagbaja added.
