…hails Tinubu’s efforts at improving veterans’ welfare
Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (Rtd), has emphasised the need for stronger civil-military relations to prevent the military from being perceived as anti-people.
Irabor made this statement on Tuesday while delivering a lecture titled “Celebrating the Armed Forces of Nigeria in National Development” at the Armed Forces Officers’ Mess, Abuja.
The lecture was part of activities organized by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) to mark the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration.
The event was attended by notable former chiefs of defence staff and service chiefs, including General Alex Ogumodhia, General Martin Agwai, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, and Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahya.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s political history, Irabor noted that the military’s involvement in political leadership at certain periods had strained its relationship with the public, leading to mistrust and disrepute.
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He called for deliberate efforts to rebuild and maintain mutual trust between the armed forces and the civilian populace.
He said: “Whereas the development is an aberration and not a product of the military institution, it has been a challenge for many elites in the geo-political space to understand that the military itself is the first victim of military rule in Nigeria. In this regard, the resonant narrative, inadvertently or otherwise, deepens the gorge in Civil-Military relations to the detriment of the state. This must be reversed.
“It must be reiterated that military political leadership of the country is by a select group of individuals. It must not be construed to be an institutional arrangement. This position must be understood in order to optimize the lofty contributions of the military in national development.
“It must be stated and understood that when political power is thrust on military leaders by the society, military professionalism suffers. In the end, the State suffers as it cannot endure under a situation of devalued military professionalism. Therefore, an improved or flourishing civil-military relations, which democracy provides must be relied upon to upscale the professional standing of the military. Imperatively, this serves our collective good for security and development.”
According to Irabor, Civil-military relations must not be adversarial in order to achieve the purpose of professional disposition of the military.
He, therefore, appealed for a heightened awareness programme on the immense benefits the country derives from cordial and flourishing civil-military relations.
How said: “The celebration of veterans and active duty personnel is a good part of the awareness programme. The Armed Forces must not be seen to be in conflict with the people. It is an ill wind to do so.
“The military exists for the good of the state and its citizens. The public must resist any attempt to convey the impression that the military is responsible for the order of the nation or the perspective that the military is working against the interest of the people. Such a view is deceptive. Any misdemeanor by individual military service personnel should not be construed to be institutional behaviour. The military institution already has established disciplinary protocols to address issues bothering personnel that cross professional boundaries.
“There could be, and certainly there are, challenges with the military institution. However, there are institutional mechanisms designed to address them in due deference to the norms of objective civil control of the military. Our collective aspiration should be to have the optimum effectiveness of the military in national growth and development and not otherwise.
He said the military has contributed to national development not only through the defense of a nation’s sovereignty but also as an active player in shaping socio-economic growth, peace, and stability.
The former defence chief advocated improved welfare and well being of veterans to enable them to contribute to society, even after retirement.
He said that the sense of duty and patriotic disposition of the veterans could serve useful purposes in different sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Irabor said that in the area of security, veterans could serve as part of the early warning systems in various parts of the country where they are domicile and as part of the team of first responders to security threats in various communities.
He added that they could also assist in security policy development at the community level and also serve as part of local law enforcement or civil defence and emergency services.
Irabor commended President Bola Tinubu for improving the welfare of veteran through the signing of the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service for the Armed Forces.
“Many of the issues contained therein affect veterans. Additionally, there has been a desire to enact the Veterans Association Bill to address some of the administrative issues affecting Veterans,” he said.
In his remarks, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, assured that the Armed Forces would continue to maintain the standard of professionalism.
“…We are committed in doing this. We love our country and we want the best for our own country”, he said.