Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has called on Nigerians to give the Nigerian Army (NA) the needed cooperation and support in addressing the complex conflicts bedeviling Nigeria, stressing that the whole-of-society approach is imperative.

The COAS made the call on Thursday 4th July 2024, during the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) lecture and award ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) maiden literary competition at Gowon Hall, Crispan Hotel, Jos, Plateau State.

Speaking further, the COAS emphasized that the Nigerian Army and other security agencies alone cannot solve the security challenges plaguing the nation, hence, the need for collective efforts from all stakeholders to address the root causes of the conflicts and profer lasting solution.

The COAS gave highlights of the Nigerian Army’s counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency efforts, noting that the multidimensional and ever-changing nature of the retractable security environment required the Nigerian Army to continue to review its strategies, concept of operations, order of battle, tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Gen Lagbaja affirmed that the Nigerian Army has been battling myriads of contemporary security challenges and is at the forefront of countering the security threats. He acknowledged that a unified approach is essential for success and called for the support of all Nigerians. The Army Chief thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued strategic guidance and invaluable support for the NA and pledged the NA’s continuous loyalty to the Constitution and Government of the Federal Republic.

Delivering a lecture titled: “Combating Complex Conflicts in Nigeria: Challenges and Strategies,” the Guest lecturer, Lieutenant General Lamidi Adeosun (rtd) examined the complex conflicts in Nigeria, their characteristics, challenges, and strategies for effective operations.

The Guest lecturer noted that peace and stability in different parts of the world have also been threatened, mostly by conflicts in complex environments, hence the need for nations to continue to strive to address the complexities of the conflicts to promote national security employing the principle of the whole-of-society approach to effectively contain the complex conflicts in Nigeria.

Espousing his perspective in a reaction to the lecture, the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, admitted that complex conflicts required an out-of-the-box thought process to matrix the security solutions. He acknowledged the initiative of security reform to provide solutions to security issues.

Highlights of the event was an interactive session on the subject of discussion by erudite resource persons, presentation of awards to winners of the COAS’ maiden literary competition, and the unveiling of the 7th edition of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) Journal.

Dignitaries who graced the occasion are immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, representatives of Service Chiefs, former Inspector General of Police, Dr Solomon Arase, Principal Staff Officers from Defence and Services Headquarters, media executives, serving and retired senior officers, amongst several others.

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Chief of Army Staff Calls for Collective Efforts in Tackling Complex Conflicts in Nigeria