President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday charged the newly appointed Service Chiefs to be patriotic in their service to the country.
“We’re in a state of emergency. Be patriotic, serve the country well, as your loyalty is to the country,” Buhari’s his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, quoted the president as saying to the new military chiefs.
The Service Chiefs are Major-General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral AZ Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice-Marshal IO Amao, Chief of Air Staff.
Buhari announced their appointments on Tuesday, after years of protests by Nigerians over the poor performance of the former service chiefs. Under the watch of the former team, Nigeria gradually slid into a kidnappers’ den, with citizens being kidnapped on highways, neighbourhoods, farms, and even schools and churches.
He congratulated the new military heads on their appointments, adding “there’s nothing I can tell you about the service because you are in it. I was also in it, and I will pray for you. I also assure you that whatever I can do as Commander-in-Chief will be done, so that the people will appreciate your efforts.
“You know the stage we were in 2015, you know the stage we are now, and the undertakings we made. We promised to secure the country, revive the economy, and fight corruption. None has been easy, but we have certainly made progress”, he said.
