The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Faruk Yahaya has revealed that his vision for the Nigerian army is “A professional Nigerian army ready to accomplish assigned missions within the joint environment in defence of Nigeria”.
The Army Chief stated this at his maiden meeting with Principal Staff Officers of Army Headquarters and Field Commanders of the Nigerian Army in Abuja.
For the 22nd Chief of Army Staff, Major General Farok Yahaya, taking the place of a man he respected so much under what he terms as “unexpected circumstances” leaves a lot of expectations on his shoulders.
His assumption of office is coming on the heels of the sudden demise of the late Chief of Army Staff, Liutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru who died in a plane crash alongside 10 other personnel. He took time out in his very first meeting with the Principal Staff Officers of and Field Commanders of the Nigerian Army to pay tribute to the late Chief whom he referred to “as a big brother, a brilliant officer and a mentor who gave him tremendous, support, understanding especially professional guidance for the period he served as a theatre commander under him.
Major General Yahaya also said he would ensure that the Nigerian army stands solidly besides the families of the deceased personnel who died in a plane crash in Kaduna, as he pledged to give exemplary leadership to the Nigerian army, galvanize the troops while building on the foundation laid by his predecessor, the late Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru.
Looking to the days ahead of him as the Chief of Army Staff, he calls for cooperation and synergy amongst officers and other security agencies on which lies the success of tackling the myriad of security challenges in the country.
He also said his philosophy will be anchored on four pillars while pledging to give exemplary leadership to the army.
“For the Nigerian army to be competitive in the 21st century, it must remain professional and seek to develop competencies that will make it ever ready to undertake its constitutional duties and interagency maneuvers creatively innovatively and with great success. It is therefore against this background that my vision which is A professional Nigerian army ready to accomplish assigned missions within the joint environment in defence of Nigeria, to achieve this goal, my command philosophy will rest on four pillars namely, professionalism, readiness , administration and cooperation” said COAS Yahaya.
There are high expectations on the 22nd Army Chief as he takes over the steering wheel of the army in a period when the nation’s security situation calls for dynamism in leadership and decisive steps to be taken in tackling the challenges.
Ime N
