By Tunde Sanni
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General AbdulRahman Dambazzau yesterday said the Nigerian Army has been ranked the third best peacekeeper in the world due to the military persistent contributions to peacekeeping in war-torn nations.
The COAS, who addressed men and officers of the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army during a send forth party for him the division, said the military authority was not ready to compromise the position to indiscipline.
Dambazzau, who until his elevation on August, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the division, lamented the indiscipline, especially among the soldiers and urged them to wake up to the challenges of professionalism in the military or face the consequences.
He however blamed the level of indiscipline in the military to the faulty recruitment exercise in the past, which he said gave room for bad eggs to be enlisted in the military.
He decried the indiscipline in some soldiers who go outside the barracks, harass civilians and commit criminal acts which negate the objectives and mission of the Nigerian Army.
Dambazzau read the riot act to Senior Non-Commission Officers {SNCOs} to hold firmly the troops and platoons under their command or be sanctioned according to the military rule .
The COAS was particularly unhappy at the way some aggrieved soldiers ventilate their grievances through anonymous letters and text messages to superior officers to complain against the mismanagement of their allowances and traveling allowances.
He clarified that no senior officer could mismanage the claims and allowances as thery have been built into the salary of all respective soldiers.
His words, “some of us are being mischievous or misinformed. When the federal government increased the salary by 15 per cent, the Salary and Wages Commission had harmonized all the allowances and circulated it throughout the formations. But some soldiers started complaining that their allowances had been embezzled. This is not true”.
The COAS who described the style of complaint of the soldiers as “unmilitary act” reminded them that discipline is the bedrock of military and “without it, we can’t be able to defend the territorial integrity of the country”He reminded the soldiers of their mission to the country and pledged his determination to improve excellent civil-military relations, meet contemporary challenges through the effective utilization of available resources, high standards of training and discipline, adherence to military values, effective command and control and observance of the rule of law.
The COAS later paid a courtesy call on the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana where he thanked the monarch for his support while at the headship of the 2 Div.
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