Press Releases
Retired military officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces have offered to lend their support to the fight against terrorism and other similar threats to national security. This was conveyed by a delegation of retired senior military officers led by Air Commodore Michael Ekwere (Rtd) during a courtesy visit to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh in his office.
The retired officers used the opportunity to congratulate the CDS on his appointment and subsequent elevation to the rank of a 4 Star General in the Nigerian Armed Forces and also gave a pat on the back to the security forces for the successes recorded in the fight against terror.
Briefing the CDS on the objectives of the group, Commodore Ekwere said they came together for the purpose of giving back to the system that has invested so much in them while in active service. He said that they came together to provide support in the on-going efforts to rationalize and transform the Armed Forces. He noted that assistance programmes would allow the Force to concentrate on their core functions.
Speaking further, the retired officer said that the concept of national power demands that countries harness resources to confront threats to national cohesion. According to him, the group was offering to act as a force multiplier for the Armed Forces in the fight against insurgency in the country.
Air Commodore Ekwere emphasised that Nigeria had a rich repository of human resources waiting to be tapped. He likened his group to PAE America, a private outfit of mostly retired military personnel who are appointed to head logistics and administration departments while the military was allowed to concentrate on its core functions of fire and manoeuvre.
In his response, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall AS Badeh thanked the organization for the visit promising to look into the issues raised especially on their readiness to join actively in the fight against insecurity in the country.
The CDS applauded the initiatives of the group, stating that he was particular at the prospects that these initiatives portend for engaging retirees and making post-service life a little more rewarding. He assured the group of the support of DHQ and the services to help the group realise its objectives.
In a related development, the management of Elizade (Toyota) Nig Ltd led by the Executive Director, Kunle Ade-Ojo and also the CEO NICON Insurance Company, Emmanuel Jegede visited the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal AS Badeh. Their visits were to felicitate with the CDS on his recent promotion and appointment as Chief of Defence Staff and to strengthen the existing partnership between them and also identify with the success story in the fight against terrorism in the North East.
Major General Chris Olukolade
Director Defence Information
