June 25, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor has met with retired senior military officers in the South-West to discuss ways out of the current security challenges in the country.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting Thursday at the headquarters of the 2nd Division Nigerian Army Ibadan, Irabor said it was part of efforts at tracing the root causes of security challenges in the country.
He said the meeting was to tap from the wealth of experience and knowledge of the retired officers and other stakeholders.
Irabor said: “Whatever experience and solutions gathered from the meeting will help in tackling various security challenges in Nigeria. With your wealth of experience and knowledge acquired over the years, we believe there is no better cross-section of Nigerians that should better be engaged than you.
“You are most qualified and knowledgeable on issues of security and because of this, we have brought you here. You know security issues in your neighbourhood”, Irabor said.
The CDS tasked the participants to be sincere, forthcoming and open during the meeting, urging them to be committed to the unity, peace and progress of the country.
Irabor said the Armed Forces would leverage the wealth of experience of the retired officers for the betterment of the region and Nigeria in general.
The CDS said the military had been re-assessing its operational engagements on a daily basis to improve the security of the country.
Also addressing the participants, the Chief of Defence Military Cooperation (CDCMIC), Rear Admiral Fredrick Ogu, said the meeting was expected to bring some salient issues to the attention of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and also proffer solutions.
He said the South-West interactive meeting was being held in Ibadan in view of the cosmopolitan nature of the city and Lagos, both experiencing a series of emerging security threats.
Ogu said the participants would deliberate on the various security challenges confronting the South-west.
The CDCMIC further disclosed that the security parley would be replicated in the other five geo-political zones at selected state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
In his remarks, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division Nigerian Army, Major-General Gold Chibuisi, appreciated the CDS for trying to tap from the experience of the retired senior officers.
Chibuisi said they had a critical role to play in assisting the nation to tackle the security challenges in Southwest and Nigeria in general.
