President Muhammadu Buhari onFriday, told the nation’s new service chiefs that they only a few weeks tosecure the country.
Buhari said he expected that before therainy season, they would have secured the country to the level that farmers whohad fled their farms in different parts of Nigeria would have developed enoughconfidence to return to their farms.
He gave the charge shortly afterdecorating the new service chiefs with their new ranks at the PresidentialVilla, Abuja.
He directed them to identify competentofficers and deploy them appropriately to achieve the target.
The President said, “During our four-hoursecurity meeting, I have taken the responsibility as the Commander-in-Chief foryou to go out into the field and secure the country.
“I have accepted responsibility for youraction on the field. It is up to you to identify your competent officersirrespective of seniority and paper qualification and deploy them to make surethat we secure this country.
“You have got a few weeks to do thatbecause, by the rainy season, we expect people to develop confidence and goback to the land so that we don’t get into trouble by being away from the fieldand therefore unable to produce enough food for the nation.”
Those decorated with their new ranksinclude the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff,Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral AwwalZubairu; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amoo.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation,Boss Mustapha; Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (retd.); andChief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, among other top government
officials attended the event.