The House also lauded the Commandant of Nigerian Defence Academy, Major General John Ochayi for “being professional and transparent in handling the affairs of the academy since his resumption in June this year.”
Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, gave the commendations on Friday in Abuja when the two military officers appeared before the House Committee on Defence for the scrutiny of the 2024 proposals for the military (Defence).
Agbese said lawmakers were proud of the achievements recorded in the last few months, saying, “We must acknowledge the laudable achievements in fighting terrorism, insurgency and banditry in Nigeria. Since you resumed as head of the Armed Forces under the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Tinubu, you have proven to be round pegs in round holes.
“You and your men have tackled insecurity head-on and we as lawmakers are proud of you, Nigerians are proud of you and I’m sure the President would be happy he didn’t make mistakes appointing you and others. We are equally proud of the NDA Commandant for the progress made so far at the academy. He is a professional, courageous and visionary officer”, Agbese said.
He, however, urged the Armed Forces to continue to improve on its operations and intelligence gathering to stamp out terrorism and all manner of insecurity across the country.
Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, assured the military of the committee’s support to achieve its mission of winning the anti-insurgency war.
He said, “We understand that you live in a very challenging situation. We understand that you need money for barracks, weapons, and aircraft, and funds are limited. On behalf of my committee, we say well done”.
Benson noted that the defence sector was being underfunded and promised to liaise with the leadership of the House to see what more could be done to improve the funding.
In his remarks, the CDS, thanked the lawmakers for acknowledging the efforts of the military, while pledging to thoroughly investigate the bombing incident in Tudun Biri, Kaduna State recently, saying, “It was a mistake, not deliberate, but we are taking steps to ensure that we address it and prevent it from re-occurring”
The CDS added, “Security is everybody’s responsibility, not only ours. We are happy that you know our challenges and are ready and willing to assist, and we assure you that we will not take that for granted.
“Whatever support we can get to enhance our capability and capacity, we assure you, including all Nigerians, that we are ready to go forward, whatever it takes for us to ensure that there is peace in Nigeria because it is not only for us. It is for our children and our children’s children.”