Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has told his newly decorated service chiefs that they have just few weeks to prove themselves.

Buhari speaking on Friday added that the new service chiefs have only a few weeks to secure the country.

Buhari said he expected that before the rainy season, they would have secured the country to the level that farmers who had fled their farms in different parts of Nigeria would have developed enough confidence to return to their farms.

He gave the charge shortly after decorating the new service chiefs with their new ranks at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He directed them to identify competent officers and deploy them appropriately to achieve the target.

The President said, “During our four-hour security meeting, I have taken the responsibility as the Commander-in-Chief for you to go out into the field and secure the country.

“I have accepted responsibility for your action on the field. It is up to you to identify your competent officers irrespective of seniority and paper qualification and deploy them to make sure that we secure this country.

“You have got a few weeks to do that because, by the rainy season, we expect people to develop confidence and go back to the land so that we don’t get into trouble by being away from the field and therefore unable to produce enough food for the nation.”

Those decorated with their new ranks include the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amoo.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (retd.); and Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, among other top government officials attended the event.

Details later…