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The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Andrew Azazi, has said the army will remain in the Niger Delta, given the nature of the area.....
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Andrew Azazi, has said the army will remain in the Niger Delta, given the nature of the area.
Azazi was speaking at a cocktail party organised on his behalf by the Delta State Government in Warri, last Thursday.
'I've gone round different parts of Delta State since I came and you could see the kind of things we talk about."
'What the army is doing in the Niger Delta, we are going to be there for a very long time."
'In fact, I begin to think that part of the role of the Nigerian army should be specific protection of our assets," he said.
Azazi said the protection of the country's territory was not only how to stop invasion from outside, but also to sustain the territory itself.
He said as the army was transforming itself across the globe, the Nigerian Army was also transforming itself to meet the aspirations of the citizens.
'The army can depend on itself for training and efficiency, but it cannot depend on itself for the equipment and what goes into making it a very, very highly professional army."
'We depend on the Nigerian society," he said.
Azazi said that on the part of the army, it would do what was required to make it credible and professional.
Governor James Ibori, represented by his deputy, Chief Benjamin Elue, urged the COAS to build an army that would be a catalyst for positive change in the country.
'Your tenure should bring about more peace, stability, credibility and professionalism in the Nigerian Army," he said.