Service Chiefs decorated with new ranks

The recently confirmed Service Chiefs have been decorated with their new ranks by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Friday in Abuja.

After they were decorated, Buhari charges them to deploy competent men and officers to restore peace
and order in troubled areas across the country.

Buhari’s charge followed the height of criminality pervading the country, especially the crime if abduction, kidnapping and killing in the northern part of the country.

He said: “I urge you to identify your competent officers and men, irrespective of their seniority or paper qualifications and deploy them to make sure we secure the country.

”You get few weeks to do that because by the rainy season we expect farmers would develop enough confidence to go back to their farmlands to produce enough food for the nation,” he said.

President urged the service chiefs not to betray the confidence reposed in them by Nigerians.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, who was decorated with a new rank of General, spoke on behalf of the service chiefs, pledging their loyalty to the president and the nation’s Constitution.

Irabor was decorated with rank of General while Chief of Army Staff, Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru was decorated with new rank of Lieutenant General.

Others decorated with new ranks were the Chief of Navy Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo, who is now Vice-Marshal and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Isiaka Amao becomes Air Marshal.

When asked by the State House correspondents on what they would differently, given that their predecessors couldn’t win war against insurgents and bandits, Major Lucky Irabor said, “the President’s message is very clear, but what and how we will do it will not be revealed.”