General Lucky Irabor, the recently-retired Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has outlined why the Nigerian Armed Forces are a single, cohesive family that experiences a sense of solidarity and kinship unmatched in any other industry.
Irabor spoke at a reception organised by the Defence Headquarters DHQ) shortly after a Pulling Out Parade after 37 years in Service and 29 months as CDS, held in his honour in Abuja on Friday.
He said, “the friendship and unity that exist within the Armed Forces, you can’t find it anywhere and that is why you can’t play politics with the military because from the 774 local government areas of this country, everyone is represented.”
He said contrary to belief, no military personnel takes any special injection but for the training and indoctrination, which comes from the regimentation.
The former CDS said: “The military is a family for those who may not know. It is a family. I have answered so many questions on we being given an injection. What is that injection? There is no injection. The injection is training and discipline. They also said we operate like a cult, the process alone, there is nothing wrong if I say we are in a cult but it is a good cult. In the training establishment when I was a cadet, we spent three years but two years later, it became a five-year programme. When it was three years, the admission was every six months and when it became one year, the admission became every year.
“For you to finish a three year program, it means that you will have five sets of your seniors and five sets of your juniors. The bonding that comes with it, you can’t find it in any other place and that is why you think it’s a cult. The values and traditions are transmitted from one generation to the other. When you get to the field, you see yourself as brothers. I want to use this opportunity to make an appeal to our friends and the citizens, the investment in members of the Armed Forces is such that other sectors need to take a cue from. There is no commander that goes to war with those he claims are his kinsmen.”
Gen. Irabor, who said he was happy handing over the task of defending the nation to the new CDS, General Christopher Musa, said he was glad to leave a safer and better country.
He also cautioned against destructive criticisms, calling on Nigerians to constructively criticise if there is need.
He also called on his successor to follow up with President Bola Tinubu to implement his policies for the greater good of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“My last interaction with the President, he made some promises to the military. Let me urge you to follow up on the promises and those promises would be of greater good for the Armed Forces and the nation,” he stated.
Earlier, the new Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Musa, said General Irabor (rtd) left a tall task and pledged not to disappoint.
General Musa commended Irabor and immediate-past Service Chiefs for working in synergy for a common purpose.
He vowed to continue to promote synergy and work collectively to attain peace and stability.
The new CDS added: “We will not let you down. We will continue from where you have stopped. When I sleep, I ask, can we really meet some of the things you have achieved ? I want to assure you that we will continue from where you have stopped, we will complete all ongoing projects. We will continue the synergy you have started. We will always come to you because of the experience you have. I will not allow your experience to waste. We’ll work together with the citizens of Nigeria. We’ll not relent until there is total peace in Nigeria,”