Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja has assured that the Nigerian Army will continue to rise up to expectation of ensuring peace and providing security across the nation inspite of various threats of insecurity noting that the Army is adaptive and troops are adaptive to every situation.
He said this just as he charged, soldiers and families that “our most important prayer should always be for peace to reign in our country, for we are the ones who will suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war if we fail to pray for the peace of our land.”
Speaking at the Inter-denominational Church Service to mark the Nigerian Army Day Celebration 2024, Gen Lagbaja said, “Let me say we are one step ahead of the threats and in so doing we have been able to restore peace to some parts of the nation, especially the northeast, the southeast, even some parts of the north central region.
“And for those areas where we are still experiencing challenges, we are reviewing the situation. We are tweaking with our strategy and the troops are rearing to go. We will continue to provide the necessary support to the troops in the front line.
“And my pledge to the nation is that the army will continue to be up and doing. The troops will continue to combat the threats and in the foreseeable future we will experience peace all across the nation.
“NADCEL is a tradition designed to appreciate our soldiers for their service to our fatherland. It is also to appreciate our families for the burden they bear while the troops are deployed in the front line. It is also an occasion to thank Nigerians for their support to their army.
“And so on this occasion of the interdenominational church service for Nigerian Army, my message to the generality of Nigerians is that they should continue to support their army by providing information, by providing moral, spiritual and whatever support to their army.
“With this support the soldiers in the front line will be motivated to give their all in the defense of the nation. And in doing that we will experience sustainable peace across the nation.
Continuing Lagbaja said, “I must say it is with a profound sense of pride and humility that I congratulate officers and men of the NA and members of our families on the occasion of today’s Interdenominational Church Services being held across our formations and units in commemoration of the NADCEL 2024.
“This year, the NA turns 161 years since its inception, and counting our successes in the past year, we realise the need to celebrate and thank God for His countless blessings and many victories.
“In about 161 years, the NA has experienced wars, low-intensity conflicts, and military operations other than war, such as peacekeeping/peace enforcement and military aid to civil authority engagements.
“Nigeria today boasts of a force that is globally reckoned with. A force renowned for its tenacity and adaptability. A force that is victory-focused, understands the underlying spiritual component of fighting power, and ascribes battle successes to God, as conspicuously captured by its motto: “Victory is from God Alone.”
“I believe it is in recognition of the place of thankfulness to God for the past year and the need to seek divine guidance and blessings for a new year that our fore-fathers initiated the NADCEL religious activities, aside from other celebration programmes.
“Therefore, our gathering today is to thank the Almighty for His guidance over the past year and seek His continued blessings, grace, and favour.
“Like the eagle bird that symbolizes strength in the NA logo, we have congregated before the Almighty to renew our strength to soar higher and accomplish missions in the new year.
“This NADCEL service also commemorates our fallen warriors, celebrates the living and prays for a brighter future for the NΑ. I therefore urge us to keep these in perspective while praying.
“We must keep praying for the repose of the souls of our beloved colleagues who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty defending our land. We must also remember to pray for the recovery of the growing population of our wounded-in-action warriors.
“As we continue with the series of activities for the NADCEL 2024, I charge you to pray for us and to do your best to make it a worthwhile celebration. I urge members of the NA family to take pride in our modest achievements and contributions to national unity and development and celebrate our Army Day.
“I assure you that the AHQ will continue to formulate personnel and family-friendly policies and programmes towards giving our personnel a fulfilling career experience and their families the pride.
He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the leadership and strategic policy guidance to the Nigerian Army as well as the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff for their leadership.
“Most importantly, I thank you, members of the Nigerian Army family, for your understanding, loyalty, and sense of duty and patriotism in the face of the temporary economic challenges our beloved nation is going through. I charge you to heed the Biblical mandate to pray, intercede, and offer thanks, particularly for our leaders and people in authority, so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness, as recorded in 1 Timothy 2: 1-2.”
“As soldiers, our most important prayer should always be for peace to reign in our country, for we are the ones who will suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war if we fail to pray for the peace of our land.”
Also speaking, Reverend Father Antony Francis Memagene, the Director, Chaplain Services, Roma Catholic said, “Even though our motto is that victory comes from God, When we pray, we communicate with God, who is the mover, who is the all powerful and all knowing. So we communicate with him and he guides, he gives us that inner courage to fight in order to overcome the enemy.
“So prayer is a key thing in our lives as we struggle with insecurity in this country. And that is why we talk about non kinetic way of dealing with this insecurity. Prayer is one aspect of dealing with such insecurity.