NEWS DIARY ONLINE
President Muhammadu Buhari says the fighting power of the Nigerian Army has increased significantly under his administration making its fourth in ranking among African militaries as against seventh in 2015.
Buhari said this at the Nigerian Army Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade 2023 on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the fighting power of the nation’s army was at low ebb as at May 2015, adding that the situation had tremendously improved with remarkable progress in the fight against insurgents, militants, oil bunkers, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the country.
According to him, this administration has achieved remarkable transformation of the military in the areas of fighting power, training, operations, manpower, remunerations and medical services.
“These are in addition to maintenance, efficiency, accommodation and expansion of forces.
“The improvements in these areas have collectively enhanced the army’s capacity to effectively carry out its constitutional mandate.
“The fighting power of our army was at low ebb as at May 2015,” he said.
According to him, however, seven years later, its fight of power has increased significantly, making its fourth in ranking among African militaries as against seventh in 2015.
“Our interventions and budgetary allocation to the army between 2020 and 2022 alone has been able to procure hundreds of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, troops carrying vehicles, utility vehicles, tanks and armored personnel carriers to augment those earlier procured from 2017 to 2022.
“Significant numbers of new fighting and the utility vehicles, along with artillery guns, machine guns, rifles and correspondent ammunition were acquired and inducted into various theaters of operations.
“This will lead to significant increment in the animal equipment holding since 2015 with a significant improvement in the fighting power as a result of the procurement of equipment and mission specific training,” he said.
Buhari said army had restructured the conduct of its operations to meet current realities, saying the quantum of platforms induced into the army since 2015 had enabled troops to take the battle to the terrorists and criminals, particularly in the northeast.
This, he said, had resulted in the recapture of territories hitherto held by the insurgents, adding that the efforts of the troops leading to unprecedented successes was evident in the increased number of neutralised insurgents and those that voluntarily surrendered alongside their families.
