A non partisan advocacy group, the National Elders Forum has agreed with President Muhammadu Buhari on the performance of the Armed forces of Nigeria (AFN). The group said the AFN has proven that it has the capacity to defend the country in the face of daunting security challenges.
President Buhari had at a recent occasion commended the AFN for its professionalism and sacrifices in the protection of the sovereignty of Nigeria.
According to the President “At the inception of this administration, the nation’s security situation was greatly challenged by the activities of violent non-state actors. Today, I am pleased to specially note that the situation has tremendously improved and I wish to also proudly highlight that we have made remarkable progress in the fight against insurgents, militants, oil bunkerers, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the country.”
President Buhari added that remarkable transformation of the military in the areas of fighting power, training, operations, manpower, remunerations and medical services, in addition to maintenance efficiency, accommodation and expansion of forces has been recorded.
Reacting to the President’s remark, the National Elders Forum in a press release on Friday signed by NEF President, Otunba Aremu Obatoke and Secretary, Mallam Abdullahi Gambo, noted that even more advanced countries are facing security challenges.
The Forum said that comparatively, “The Armed forces of Nigeria has done very well when we look at the indices before us.
“Here in Nigeria, we have criminal elements that are surrendering in numbers because the Armed forces is not giving them breathing space. We may not have completely wiped them away, but we can boldly say that our country is far better than it was, especially since the present leadership of the Armed forces came onboard 2 years ago.
“We agree with a recent assessment by the Professor of Cyber Security and Information Technology Management, Ojo Emmanuel Ademola, who awarded the current leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria pass mark over their commitment to root out Boko Haram terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements from the country.
“Prof. Ademola in a statement recently, noted that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. LEO Irabor has brought in a professional touch and unique variety of administration that has proven to be a masterstroke in the war against insurgents.
“NEF therefore say that our military has done very well, we should support them and not weaken their resolve,” the Forum added.