Former Minister of Defence and Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, has asked Service Chiefs to end terrorism and banditry across the country and return the country to the path of peace.
Danjuma made the call at the presentation of a book titled ‘Big Boots: Lessons from my Military Service’ written by retired Maj.-Gen. Solomon Udounwa on Tuesday in Abuja.
The former military chief, who chaired the book presentation, said the military should not allow excuses in the efforts to end the insecurity ravaging the country.
‘Number one problem today, security and we must end the pandemic, stop the killings that are going on in our country as soon as possible.
‘Those of you who are still serving no excuses and absolutely no,’ he said.
Danjuma commended the military leadership for their efforts in addressing the various security challenges bedeviling the nation.
In his remarks, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said the military was working tirelessly to restore peace
across the country.
Musa added that the armed forces would continue to uphold the values of service, integrity and honour that defines military tradition.
‘Let me at least also mention to our distinguished chairman that the armed forces of Nigeria is positioned, is willing, dedicated and committed in ensuring that we restore peace and security in our own dear country.
‘We shall not be deterred and there are going to be challenges. But that is why we are here.
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‘I want to assure you that we have learned a lot from your record, and very distinguished senior officers that have modeled us all through the years.
‘We cannot afford to fail and we will not fail,’ he said.
The CDS also extolled the virtues of the author for his exemplary service to the army and the nation in general.
The author of the book, Udounwa, said he was motivated by the desire to document his experiences for the younger generation.
He said that the first factor
that motivated him was that the military profession thrived on experiential learning.
He added that younger generations of military officers and soldiers required the experiences of those who served before them to learn strategy, administration, operational management, and the rest.
‘If you don’t document your experiences, that could be lost and then those coming behind you might not be able to learn from all the exposure and all the training that you had while in service.
‘So, my book is going to be of interest to serving personnel, to military historians to the academia for people who are interested in national and international security affairs, and for the general public.
‘I hope the younger generation of officers who are still serving will learn from some of the challenges I faced and how I was able to navigate through them.
‘I hope they will learn that to serve in the military requires discipline, professionalism, integrity, character, courage, and so many other virtues that an officer must display
while undertaking his duties,’ he said.
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Udounwa explained that the title of the book ‘Big Boots’ was informed by the size of his feet and boots in the military.
He said he faced bullies in primary school but decided to unleash his big feet on one of the bullies and ended the reign of terror.
‘Then when I joined the military, because my feet are very big, I was also given Big Boots, which went with me everywhere I served, and which I used in trampling on terrorists and every other threat to our national security,’ he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the book presentation attracted the presence of the former service Chiefs including Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Gen. Lucky Irabor, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya and other serving and retired top officers.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria