“In my village, a soldier told me that he had fled the North-east due to non-provision of bullets and ammunition. Disturbed by the news, I sought an audience with President Goodluck Jonathan. When I finally saw him and spoke to him on the situation in the North-east and how soldiers were fleeing the troubled zone, he said that he had heard of such and doubted if the money he was releasing to the military was being used for that purpose.
These were the comments of the former Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt. General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi at the launching of a book he wrote in honour of the war time Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon.
General Bamaiyi said: “If you place the welfare of your soldiers first, they can give their lives for your defence. But if you ask soldiers to cough out N10 million to purchase a house, then what it means is that you are encouraging them to go to the road and steal.
He said that despite what some service chiefs were said to have done during the regime of Jonathan, “it is not true that we are all the same. We must serve with integrity and do what is expected of us. We should be seen to be standing for the truth.”
Bamaiyi stressed the need for the military authorities to focus on improving the welfare of soldiers. [myad]
