By Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu
The command style of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has upscaled Nigerian Army operations and enhanced its operational successes, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, has said.
Nwachukwu stated this on Friday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the upcoming COAS Annual Conference 2021. He said that Yahaya had since assumption of duty on May 28, 2021 encapsulated his command philosophy anchored on four cardinal pillars: Professionalism, Readiness, Administration andCooperation.
According to him, the COAS immediately swung into action with his maiden operational visit to the Headquarters Operation Hadin Kai, where he charged troops to sustain the onslaught against Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists.
He said the motivation had upscaled the operational disposition of troops in battle with tremendous exploits that resulted in the neutralisation of high profile terrorist commanders and their foot soldiers.
Nwachukwu added: โAdditionally, the kinetic and non kinetic activities in the theatre have led to mass surrender of fighters and recovery of combat equipment, which has substantially degraded the terrorists fighting capability.
โThis spelt doom for the terrorists who lost some of their notable commanders, such as Abubakar Shekau and Musab Al-Banarwi, among other operational commanders.
โAlthough, we have witnessed the surrender of quite a number of BH & ISWAP terrorists in the past, the current surrendering posture in droves signposts the leadership direction the Chief of Army Staff has provided to the Nigerian Army with the cooperation of other Services.
โThis operational feat clearly attests to the pragmatic leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, who has at various times traversed the theatre landscape shoring up troopsโ fighting will and motivation to subdue the adversary. This was further supported with robust welfare packages provided for troops in the theatre.โ
Nwachukwu also said the recent successes had led to increasing public confidence on the counter insurgency operations, culminating in the mass return of Internally Displaced Persons to their ancestral homes.
He said the feat had also significantly restored socio economic activities, particularly farming and commerce, which hitherto were the mainstay of the economy of the North East region.
According to him, Yahaya has been in all fronts, leading with remarkable strides in the area of massive infrastructural developments across Nigerian army formations and units.
He said that the COAS had so far attended to welfare needs of troops ranging from housing to logistics as well as operational requirements.
In the area of training, Nwachukwu said the COASโs Second and Third Quarters Conferences 2021 provided the opportunity to re-assess the NAโs combat readiness with a view to coming up with workable framework and strategies for winning the war against adversaries. He added that the army was conducting recruitment and training of over 3,000 recruits to enhance its manpower capacity and capabilities with a view to increase its fighting capability.
He also disclosed that the ongoing exercises across the country had recorded huge results as witnessed in the recently concluded Anambra Governorship election. Yahaya is steadily rejuvenating core traditions and customs of the Nigerian army through his presentation of brand new Hilux vehicles to empower Regimental Sergeant Majors in all NA Divisions,โ he said.
Nwachukwu said the 2021 annual conference, with the theme: โBuilding Nigerian Armyโs Capacity in Combating Emerging Securty Threats in a Joint Operating Environment,โ was a forum for appraising the armyโs performance within a period of one year.
He added that the conference would afford the COAS and participants an opportunity to evaluate training, operational activities as well as logistics and administrative matters for the year 2021.
According to him, it is also aimed at making projections for subsequent years, with a view to reposition the Nigerian army for optimal performance in the discharge of its constitutional roles.
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu is the current Director of Army Public Relations of the Nigerian Army.
