From Melvin Uche, Maiduguri
Borno State Governor, Prof .Babagana Umara Zulum has called on the military authority to ensure the posting of competent, dedicated and dogged officers to head military commands.
The Governor said from his observation of scenarios in the ongoing war against terrorism, almost all locations in the state that are under the command of competent and dedicated officers hardly fall into the hands of the Boko Haram insurgents.
Zulum who made the call during the Chief of Army Staff combined First , Second and Third Quarter Conference for 2020 which began on Tuesday in Maiduguri, added that there is the need to weight between competency and loyalty, which is important in military postings.
The Governor said in appraising the performance of the Nigerian Army, there is the need to critically examine the issue of competency, dedication and doggedness of officers and men of the Nigerian Army.
He urged the Nigerian Army to change the war narrative altogether to end the lingering Boko Haram crisis .
While noting that attack is said to be the best defence , Zulum urged the Nigerian Army to take the war to all the hideouts of the Boko Haram terrorists rather than waiting to give the terrorists opportunity to strike first.
He said:” Let me use this opportunity to draw your attention on the need to have competent ,dedicated and dogged officers to head military Commands. The Army must also embark on confidence building and confidence sharing mechanism with communities and civil authorities so as to expose the terrorists, their collaborators and sponsors and end their alliances forthwith”.
Zulum said in line with the 10 – Pact Agenda of his administration, Borno state government has sustained its role as stakeholder in activities and operations of the Nigerian Army through the provision of all the needed support and moral boosting mechanism to all security operatives involved in the fight against Boko Haram.
He thanked president Muhammadu Buhari for his unflinching support to the Nigerian Army in the execution of the war against Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast.
He also thanked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen.Tukur Yusuf Buratai for choosing Borno as the venue of the conference, as well as bringing the top brass of the Army to the state for the conference.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, noted that the year 2020 began with a lot of promise for the officers and men of the Nigerian Army especially, as Army got approval for the implementation of new allowances as contained in the manual of financial administration 2017.
Buratai said the Army is also expectantly, looking forward to the delivery of major equipment procured by the federal government to end the Boko Haram war.
