The newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Major General Abayomi
Gabriel Olonisakin has stated his readiness to provide new strategic and
operational direction in the prosecution of the fight against terror in
the country.
The CDS gave this hint in the inaugural address he delivered at the
handing and taking over ceremony between him and the out gone Chief of
Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh (rtd) at the Defence
Headquarters, Tuesday.
According to him, “A lot has been done in the ongoing counter-insurgency
operation in the North East; in furtherance of the successes so far
achieved, we will look at ways to strengthen the existing arrangement as
well as provide new strategic direction. We will set specific timelines
and milestones to be achieved; look at gaps in the ongoing efforts and do
all that are needful, with the support of government, to address these
gaps especially in the areas of actionable intelligence, logistics,
communication and other critical equipment”.
He noted the imperative of collaborating with other security agencies,
especially in the areas of intelligence gathering and promised to improve
on such invaluable collaborations.
“We must explore every available means to obtain real-time and actionable
intelligence in all our operations”, he assured while promising to
strengthen the newly established Military Command Control Centre with
necessary personnel and equipment for greater coordination of the North
East operation, in line with Presidential directives.
The new CDS also vowed to strengthen, provide support and direction to
achieve greater success in curbing oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in
Nigerian water ways.
Similar initiatives, according to him, will be extended to deal with the
spate of armed banditry and other criminal activities within the country.
He lauded the achievements of his predecessor, Air Chief Marshal Alex
Badeh, and thanked him for the untiring effort at improving the
operational efficiency of the Nigerian Armed Forces and promised
consolidate on his monumental legacies.
Earlier in his valedictory address, the former CDS thanked members of the
Nigerian military and Nigerians in general for all the support and
encouragement he received from them during his time as Nigeria’s 15th
Chief of Defence Staff.
He specifically extended his appreciation to the former President, Dr
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, for the confidence he reposed in him by
appointing him as the CDS.
He also thanked President Muhammad Buhari for also giving him the
opportunity to serve under him for about six weeks. Major General Abayomi
Gabriel Olonisakin was appointed as the 16th Chief of Defence Staff of
Nigeria on the 13th July, 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
By PRNigeria