Minister of Defence Muhammed Abubakar Badaru Tuesday said he will demand timelines and targets from Service Chiefs on when to end insecurity in Nigeria.
This is even as he said he will cooperate with all the security agencies in the country by holding monthly meetings with security agencies and their ministers on how to solve the security challenges in the country.
Badaru stated this in his remarks shortly after assuming office as the Minister of Defence at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
“We know without security there will be no investment and without investment there will be no economic growth. Even our food security is threatened, farmers can’t go to their farms. The President is ready to give us all the support to do this.
“So from now on, I want the service chiefs to give me a timeline and their requirements on how we will begin to solve these problems one by one. This time line and target will be passed on to the President and trust me, he will be monitoring us and he doesn’t have the patience to work with lazy people. So all our jobs are at stake if we don’t deliver and indeed we have to deliver for our people, we have to deliver for the country,” he said.
He said himself, minister of State for Defence, and the Service Chiefs cannot fail Mr President and Nigerians for the trust they repose on them.
He said: “We have no reason to fail him, so I want to thank all that are here and assure them that we will do our best. We will do our best to make sure we get rid of security challenges.
“We owe it a duty to the President and the nation. As politicians, we cannot afford not to succeed. We hardly fail and we are not ready to fail this time and we will not fail.
“The President is a goal setter, he is an achiever and a thinker, so if you think we are going to joke with this, then we will all be deceiving ourselves. The President is a macro manager and he will be on our necks to deliver. I do the same.
“I think this is where the service chiefs will forgive me if I cross the command channel. I have to get things done. The trust that is reposed on the two of us by the President and indeed the service chiefs cannot be betrayed, we have to deliver and for the sake of our country.”
In his remarks, Dr Bello Mohammed Mattawalle, said the ministry will adopt a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to effectively tackle the prevailing security issues.
“At the same time, we recognize that Military Might alone cannot guarantee lasting security and stability.
“We must address the root causes of conflicts, promote social cohesion, and foster economic development. By investing in education, healthcare, job creation, and infrastructure development, we can create an environment where extremism finds no fertile ground to thrive.
“We will collaborate with relevant ministries and agencies to implement programs that address the socio-economic disparities that often fuel conflicts,” he said. (Blueprint)
