Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has called on the newly appointed service chiefs to allow for constructive criticisms and work with civilians in the North-East in order to defeat Boko Haram.
He also advised them to collaborate with militaries of neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger to smoke out Boko Haram terrorist group from the country.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor, led the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Zubairu Gambo, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao, to a strategic meeting with top military hierarchy in Borno State before leading them on a courtesy visit to Borno State Governor and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Garbai El-Kanemi.
Zulum, while addressing the service chiefs at the Borno State Government House Chamber, said there was need for aggressive collaboration with armed forces in neighboring countries of Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic.
He also sought enhanced ties between the military and civilian population to bridge trust deficit and increase military’s access to intelligence gathering, which he said, was key to success in the fight against insurgency.
He, however, assured the military chiefs of his administration’s commitment and support to the armed forces by way of supplementing their efforts in the ongoing war.
He equally urged the service chiefs to tolerate fair and constructive criticisms that might be made in good faith to enhance their productivity.
He said, “In democratic settings, the military is an establishment, which is subject to constructive criticisms by well meaning citizens. Therefore, you are expected to accept such criticisms in good faith with a view to enhancing the productivity in your operations.”
The governor, however, noted that for the Nigerian military to achieve success, there should be robust coordination and collaboration between different security operatives, particularly between the Nigerian Army and Airforce.
He called on the military to ensure a continued and sustained operations to deny insurgents breathing space by blocking all routes to avoid terrorists moving from one region to another.
Earlier, Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor, promised that military operations would receive a boost in order to wipe out the insurgents completely.
He, however, craved the understanding of the civilian population in the fight against terrorism.
Irabor added, “Nigerians will soon see the various injections that would be made to see the end of the terrors visited on the nation by the terrorist group, Boko Haram.”
