“On the matter of Herdsmen/Farmers clash, I wish to state that this Administration will not tolerate or condone acts of banditry and criminality, under any guise. As such, our security agencies have been mandated to deal with such acts decisively” the President said while speaking at the National Defence College (NDC) graduation ceremony for Course 24 which held in Abuja.
Clashes between fulani herdsmen and farmers have been on the rise in some states of the federation, particularly in Benue, Enugu, Adamawa, Ekiti states, amongst others with several persons reportedly killed.
This has drawn various reactions from Nigerian stakeholders, with some calling for the establishment of grazing reserves in states to control the movement of the herdsmen and their cattle.
The President who lauded the graduating military officers for successfully undergoing the eleven months rigorous course reminded them to maintain the tenets of professionalism and discipline the military was renowned for. He also urged them to take advantage of contemporary technology to strengthen the territorial integrity of
Nigeria.
“The National Defence College symbolises the height of military professionalism and excellence in our nation. It is a place where
potential strategic leaders are trained in the procedure and processes of strategic leadership. It serves as a good platform to produce leaders that will drive the change direction, which must be followed if we will keep up with the 21st century” he said.
The President also noted that his administration remains undaunted in tackling the twin issues of corruption and poverty, which are the major problems in the country.
“You will all recall that on being sworn into office on 29 May 2015, I outlined certain core areas of our national life that require
immediate intervention, some of which I would like to reiterate here today. First, we should seek to secure the country, improve the economy and fight corruption.
“As it is, this is our unfinished business from the past and dates back to the creation of our republic, yet to this day, corruption and poverty remain our main national problems.
“As part of efforts to address the problem of corruption, we have set in motion legal processes to recover whatever we can and bring to justice those who betrayed their trust. Thus far, we have been able to recover billions of naira from indicted companies and individuals.
“In addition, through the implementation and enforcement of the Treasury Single Account, we have been able to save more for our nation. Furthermore, in our fight to end poverty in Nigeria, we have set up social interventions and reliefs for the poor, and already, data is being collated by the Economic Planning Office of the Vice President in conjunction with the World Bank” he said.
A total of 130 graduands, drawn from the Nigerian Army,Navy,Airforce and Nigeria Police,Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS),National Defence College(NDC),Defence Intelligence Agency(DIA),Department of State Security(DSS),Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Nigerian Prisons Service(NPS),Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC),Federal Road Safety Commission(FRSC). 7 international participants also took part in the course.
Others at the graduation ceremony, were the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai,Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete Ibas,Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar among others.
Former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu,Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali were also at the occasion.
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