By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has charged the troops to go all out on final showdown with the Boko Haram terrorists from the country.
Buratai gave the charge in his message to the officers and men of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) on the Final Clearance of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on Thursday in Ngamdu, Borno.
He called on the troops to be brave and committed to achieving the set objective of the mission, adding that there was no better time than now.
According to him, we are right here right now to carry out our solemn and righteous constitutional duties.
“We are here to flush out these criminals who have been terrorizing and killing innocent and law abiding Nigerians!
“Officers and men of the Nigerian Army owe it a duty to save our country from the menace of terrorists, bandits and all forms of criminalities.
“We owe it a duty to the Nigerian people and to President Muhammadu Buhari, for the confidence he has reposed in us to achieve the mandate the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has given us.
“We owe it a duty to serve our fatherland and protect our fellow country men and women.
“Ours is a professional calling, a call to serve our dear country; a call to defend the territorial integrity of our fatherland, which we must all be proud of.
“We must also be proud of our calling as professional soldiers and patriots,” he said.
Buratai, however warned the troops that there was no room for the chicken-hearted, adding that the Nigerian Army of today was for the committed, disciplined, patriotic and selfless officers and soldiers.
He added that “there is no room for cowardice and no room for the lily-livered ones.
“From now on, it is forward ever backward never! The sacrifices of our fallen heroes must never be in vain! Nigerian Army officers and soldiers have no cause to despair as ours is a noble and patriotic cause.
“It is a cause we must all be proud of.
“Gentlemen gallant commanders all levels, you must hold firmly to your officers and men and you must instill confidence through your words and actions. In order to win the trust and confidence of their subordinates, commanders must never show fear or fatigue.
“If they do that, they will lose all moral authority to lead and command their men. You cannot and must not take men and equipment into battle without situating it, without putting yourself through the whole course and playing out all the likely scenarios you may encounter and diligently working out all possible options.
“We must be committed and fastidious. We must consider and workout the minutest details, factors and all possible outcomes in all our operations.
“Let me reiterate and restate here that I have confidence in all my officers. I have confidence in all my commanders and I have confidence in you gallant soldiers of the Nigerian Army,” he said.
The army chief urged all officers to always think out of the box and beyond the box.
He charged them to move out and bring the war to a positive end, saying that victory is from God alone.