President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday warned that any act of hooliganism
\nhiding behind lawful and peaceful protests will be dealt with decisively
\nto ensure peace and stability in the country.<\/p>\n
The President\u2019s comment comes as some Nigerians prepared to take to the
\nstreets again in continuation of the #EndSARS protest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to reiterate our government\u2019s commitment to the rights of
\ncitizens to embark on peaceful protests,\u201d Buhari said while declaring
\nopen the Chief of Army Staff\u2019s Annual Conference 2020 in Abuja.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, this must be done responsibly and in accordance with the laws
\nof the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also wish to state that any act of hooliganism hiding behind lawful
\nand peaceful protests will be dealt with decisively to ensure the peace
\nand stability of our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The President then commended the Nigerian Armed Forces for quelling the
\nviolence that trailed the #EndSARS protests.<\/p>\n
\u201cI commend the Armed Force for their efforts which helped restore law
\nand order in many states during the large-scale criminality that ensued
\nin the wake of the #EndSARS protests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In his speech, Buhari described the Year 2020 as a very challenging one,
\nciting the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative impact on
\nalmost every aspect of national life.<\/p>\n
\u201dDespite this, I am pleased to note that the Army remained resolute in
\nthe discharge of its Constitutional roles and in keeping the wealth and
\nwelfare of our soldiers a priority.<\/p>\n
\u201dThe Army\u2019s support of Civil Authorities in the management of the COVID
\n\u2013 19 Pandemic is a case in point.<\/p>\n
\u201dAlso, the peaceful elections conducted in Edo and Ondo States would not
\nhave been achieved without the high level of professionalism displayed
\nby all security agencies, including the Army,\u201d he said at the conference
\nthemed \u201cHuman Capacity Development in Sustaining Professionalism and
\nResponsiveness of the Nigerian Army in the Discharge of its
\nConstitutional Roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The President commended the Army for its unwavering commitment towards
\ncurtailing the activities of insurgents, armed bandits, kidnappers,
\ncattle rustlers and other violent criminals through ongoing exercises
\nand operations in different parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Notably, he said the Exercise SAHEL SANITY launched a few months ago in
\nthe North West states to rid the Katsina-Zamfara corridor of marauding
\nbandits had recorded commendable progress.<\/p>\n
\u201dI have also been briefed about the tremendous successes that have been
\nachieved by troops during the ongoing Operation FIRE BALL in the North
\nEast.<\/p>\n
\u201dI charge you all to sustain these efforts until the full restoration of
\npeace and security in the nation is achieved,\u201d the President told
\nmembers of the armed forces at the conference which provides an avenue
\nfor the leadership of the Army to re-assess its preparedness and
\noperational readiness in carrying out its Constitutional roles.<\/p>\n
President Buhari also used the occasion to pay tribute to men and women
\nin uniform who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the defence and
\nsecurity of the nation, commiserating with their families, comrades and
\nfriends.<\/p>\n
\u201dAs we pray for the repose of their souls, we must strengthen our
\ncollective resolve to address those issues that will make every part of
\nour country a safe and secure place to live and carry out our normal
\nbusiness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He pledged that his administration will not relent in its efforts to
\ntake adequate care of families of fallen heroes who had paid the supreme
\nsacrifice in the fight against insurgency and other forms of crimes
\nacross the country.<\/p>\n
At the conference, the President launched the Housing scheme for Next of
\nKin of personnel of the Nigerian Army killed in action.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt is in line with this that the Army as part of its welfare initiative
\nand in line with the Federal Government\u2019s housing programme is
\nundertaking the Housing Scheme for families and next of kin of troops
\nthat were killed in action in the fight against insurgency and other
\ncriminalities in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201dI believe this initiative will act as a huge morale booster to the
\ntroops on the frontlines as well as project the Army in good light.<\/p>\n
\u201dOn our part, I assure you that this administration will continue to do
\nall within available resources to provide for your operational and
\nwelfare needs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
President Buhari said he had been briefed that some of the major
\ncapabilities procured for the Army will soon be inducted into the
\nvarious theatres of operations, urging personnel \u2018\u2018to make judicious use
\nof these capabilities, even as we await the arrival of others currently
\npending shipment to the country.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
On the choice of the theme of the annual conference, President Buhari
\nnoted that it is only through human capacity development that any
\ninstitution can attain the level of professionalism needed to
\neffectively and efficiently carry out its Constitutional roles.<\/p>\n
The President, therefore, congratulated the Army on holding this
\nConference at the magnificent edifice housing the Army\u2019s Cyber Warfare
\nCommand with its state-of-the-art Cyberwarfare Operations Centre, adding
\nthat this shows that the Army is alive to the changing nature of warfare
\nwhich is gradually moving into the cyber domain.<\/p>\n
\u201dBy the same token, I commend the visionary leadership that has worked
\nassiduously to emplace this vital capability that will fill an existing
\ngap in our nation\u2019s security and defence architecture.<\/p>\n
\u201dThis and other numerous infrastructural projects that have been
\nembarked upon in recent times by the leadership of the Army has shown
\ngood utilization of scarce national resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi
\nappreciated the President for always approving funds for operations of
\nthe military in the country, assuring that all resources will be
\njudiciously utilised.<\/p>\n
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, noted that the Nigeria
\nArmy was well poised to confront all security challenges, which includes
\ncyber threats.<\/p>\n
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday warned that any act of hooliganism hiding behind lawful and peaceful protests will be dealt with decisively to ensure peace and stability in the country.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n