The Nigerian Army authority has said that there is no leadership vacuum in the force even as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt -Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, proceeded on leave and medical checkup abroad.
It said the army is a “highly structured establishment with well-laid-out procedures and processes for dealing with different circumstances.”
The army high command said this in a statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Saturday, October 19.
According to Nwachukwu, before the COAS proceeded on leave, necessary protocols were put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, to act on his behalf.
He said: “This is not peculiar to the Nigerian Army as there have been instances where unforeseen human frailty kept service chiefs away for about three months, and their Chiefs of Policy and Plans held sway in their absence.
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“Claims of a leadership vacuum in the Nigerian Army presently is therefore mere speculation, as all routine and scheduled activities of the Service are on course.”
Nwachukwu also dismissed insinuations that the COAS absence had caused administrative hiccups about personnel postings, promotions, and training activities. He said the army has always been very proactive in its activities.
He urged the public to remain confident in the Nigerian Army, and assured that the service “remains on top of the security situations in the country and is ever ready to defend Nigeria against any aggression on its land territory.”