Posted by From MOLLY KILETE. Abuja. on
Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Victor Malu, has broken his long silence over why he does not attend events organised by the Army, saying his successors in office had not been extending invitation to him.
Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Victor Malu, has broken his long silence over why he does not attend events organised by the Army, saying his successors in office had not been extending invitation to him.
Malu, who was spotted at Kachia, venue of the fire power demonstration to mark the 2008 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL), told Daily Sun in an interview that while many might have concluded that he had a grudge with the Army where he put in over 30 years of his life because of the way he left service, the truth is that no subsequent COAS had invited him for any function.
'I have not been to any army function until the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Yusuf, invited me. He happens to be one of the few officers I can vouch for because his principles as a soldier coincides with mine, so, when he invited me, I had no choice than to come. The other chiefs have refused to invite me for army functions for reasons best known to them," Malu said.
An elated Malu, who was impressed with the performance of the soldiers at the exercise, commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Luka Nyem Yusuf, for having the courage to invite him to the event, saying that Gen. Yusuf, was one of the few officers he could vouch for in the Army, moreso that they shared the same principles as soldiers.
Gen. Malu, who noted that training remained the best option for the military all over the world, however, regretted that former president Olusegun Obasanjo, despite being a general, failed to understand what it meant for the military to train.
'I feel very great to witness this ceremony and I am particularly impressed with the exercise considering the fact that I was once a COAS who never had the opportunity of conducting a fire power exercise because my president despite calling himself a general doesn't understand what it means or how important it is for the military to continue to train.
'So, I want to commend Gen. Yusuf and President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua for redressing the situation of the armed forces and see that they are made to train and capable of carrying out their legitimate job of protecting the integrity of the country.
Malu, who retired from service in April 2001 after a disagreement with Obasanjo, commended the role played by the Nigerian Armed Forces, especially the Army, whom he noted had performed very well, since the inception of democracy in 1999.
He urged the Army to continue to support the democracy, as it remained the best option not only for the entire country, but the military as a whole.