The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has assured Nigerians that the Army will not disrupt democratic governance in the country. He made this known on Tuesday during his opening remarks at the 2024 Chief of Army Staff combined second and third quarters conference which took place in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom.
The COAS stated that some persons called for the intervention of the military during the August 1 to 10 #EndbadGovernance nationwide protest.
He said, “Another pertinent issue that came up during the recent protest is the call for undemocratic intervention in governance by the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“Although, one can say this was coming from young Nigerians who never experienced the era of Nigeria’s extensive military rule and the concerted struggle by heroes and heroines of our current democratic dispensation to get the Nation on its current path.
“As Chief of Army Staff, my simple response to the call is, ‘Thanks, but no thanks!’ The Nigerian Army will not allow itself to be used to undemocratically sail some interests to power.
“As the Service that received the most image bashing as a fallout of previous military interventions in Nigeria, the Nigerian Army is not poised to lose the new prestige it has painstakingly built in the past 25 years.”