Don't undermine democracy in Nigeria, ex-CDS tells military

The former Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, has charged members of the Armed Forces to avoid undermining democratic governance in the country.

Ibrahim stressed that the military had a constitutional responsibility to defend democracy and the nation's territorial integrity.

Ibrahim,who spoke at his pulling-out parade from the Nigerian Navy at the Mogadishu Barracks, Abuja,  on Friday, also advised the military and other security agencies to collaborate effectively in the performance of their constitutional responsibilities for better performance.

The former CDS also urged the Armed Forces to give the deserved attention to training, which according to him, will enable them to make the necessary adjustments to emerging local and international challenges.

He said, 'The Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies must continue to work in collaboration and put in their best in the defence and security of our dear country.

'Ladies and gentlemen, let me reiterate here that the role of the Nigerian Armed Forces is essentially to deepen our democracy and not to undermine it.

'In doing this, I urge you to always work in concert to defend democracy and our territorial integrity as no single service can go it alone.

'The Armed Forces must continue to take training seriously to enable it to adjust to both local and international challenges as they evolve.'

Ibrahim commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the ongoing efforts to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

He said the while insurgency was a challenge to the Armed Forces, the membership of the services and the security agencies had learnt a lot of lessons from the crisis and would come of it stronger.

The former CDS said no former President of the country had been so confronted with he kind of daunting and complicated security challenges facing the country under Jonathan.

He said President had shown 'exemplary courage' in confronting the challenge of insecurity in the land in spite of what he referred to as distractions.

Ibrahim said he was hopeful that the commitment and goodwill of the President would motivate the Armed Forces and security agencies to deal with the menace of insurgency in the country. PUNCH