He made this known at the Officers’ Mess in Ibadan, Oyo State, during the Nigerian Army Civil-Military Cooperation Media Chat for the third quarter of 2023.
Lagbaja, whose speech was read by the General Officer Commanding of 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Bamidele Alabi, said the security environment in the country has drastically evolved such that the institution is deployed to combat terrorists, insurgents and other criminals in all parts of the country.
The CoAS stated that the “Nigerian Army will continue to train and equip its forces to carry out kinetic operations in compliance with the approved rules of engagement and code of conduct for various theatres, within and outside the country.
“To deepen the institutionalisation of professionalism in the Nigerian Army, I crafted the wordings of my command philosophy which is to transform the institution into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within the environment.
“In this regards, the Nigerian Army under my leadership has emplaced robust strategies across all lines of operations to ensure that the security challenges in the country are resolved favourably within the shortest possible time.”
Speaking on the theme of the media chat, ‘Leveraging Media To Enhance Nigeria’s Internal Security Operations,’ Lagbaja said, “At a time like this when the nation is inundated with a myriad of internal security challenges, the Nigerian Army under my leadership has adopted a multi-dimensional approach requiring the collaboration of all, especially the media in confronting these challenges.”
In his welcome address, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Maj Gen Nosakhare Ugbo, explained that the programme was part of efforts to keep the media informed of its activities in order to eliminate rumours and provide accurate and timely information in line with international best practices.
Nosakhare said, “The gathering will further provide an opportunity for the Nigerian Army to engage with various communication experts for better understanding and to chart a mutually beneficial relationship to improve media reportage. The media chat is also an aspect of the non-kinetic line of operations as the constitutional mandate.
“The Nigerian Army has continually emplaced measures to strengthen the civil-military relationship in Nigeria. The Army has achieved this through enhanced civil-military cooperation activities, effective liaison, visits to relevant stakeholders, advocacy and mediation as well as seminars.
“In addition, the Army conducts workshops and conferences with different strata of the Nigerian society,” he added.
