Military’s commitment to Nigeria’s democracy gratifying – IPAC


The leadership of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has described as gratifying the recent assurance given by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor reaffirmed the strong and unalloyed commitment of the military to the country’s democracy project and obedience to the civil political authority.

Irabor in a recent interview as part of this year’s celebration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day had given the assurance.

In a statement released Tuesday in Abuja by the national chairman of IPAC, Engr. Yabagi Yusuf Sani, said the new orientation, focus and resolve of the Armed Forces revealed in the CDS’s remarks is certain roadmap towards the enhancement of the ingredients of professionalism, discipline and specialization that are crucial catalysts in the effective conduct of the core statutory obligations of any military to their nations.

“The National Executive Committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, wishes to commend General Lucky Irabor for giving the reassurance which we consider a bolster to the confidence and optimism that a broad spectrum of nation’s critical groups and constituencies are keyed into the patriotic efforts of advancing our twenty-three-year-old democracy to greater heights.

“Against the backdrop of decades of the blight of military incursions into the political space, with attendant retardation of the democratic process, it is gratifying that a new crop of officers and men of our Military are now attuned to playing their universally recognized and constitutional assigned role of defenders of the country’s territorial integrity and safeguarding her internal security and stability.

“While the vast majority of citizens have become irreversibly committed to democracy, members of the international communities are even more vehemently averse to the idea of unconstitutional method of acquiring power especially, through military coups, the global disdain for military political adventurism is evident in the strongly-worded statement of the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres in reaction to the incidence of military take-overs in parts of Africa.

“The IPAC wishes to put on record its commendation of the present set of Service Chiefs for the remarkable renewed vigour by the military under the supervision of General Irabor which have manifested in the series of victories recorded in the campaign against insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, among other serious crimes threatening the security and stability of the country.”

IPAC however called on the Chief of Defence Staff to heighten the tempo of the current performance of the Armed Forces “because the surest way to guarantee the survival and deepening of democracy is the creation of a peaceful and secured environment.

“To boost their morale needed for the military to record more milage in its emerging triumphs, we are calling on the President, the National Assembly and other relevant political authorities to continue to give urgent and robust consideration to the demands of shortage of manpower, welfare of troops, training and retraining as well as improvement on the quality and quantity of equipment to bring our troops to the level of prevailing global best standards.

“IPAC also espouses and demands accountability, transparency and judicious application of the nation’s scarce resources allocated to the force to enhance higher level of loyalty and commitment by the rank and file. May God protect our troops.”