THE Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Y. Buratai, has said that the military would meet the three-month deadline given to it by President Muhammadu Buhari to end Boko Haram insurgency.
He made the disclosure while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after declaring open the Nigerian Army Finance Corps 10th Biennial Training Conference held in Kaduna.
Buratai remarked that as long as the military is winning the war on daily basis, it would certainly meet the deadline.
It will be recalled that the president had given the military up to December to end the insurgency in the North-East of the country.
The Army boss, who did not elaborate much on the deadline issue, simply said, “We will end Boko Haram very soon; it is possible to meet the three months deadline. We are very close to the insurgents.
Earlier, in his address at the conference, Buratai said that the change slogan by the Federal Government, particularly in financial management, through the introduction of The Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given the Nigerian Army new ideas on how to make judicious use of its funds.
He noted that the change song of the Federal Government had brought to life existing financial policies that were dormant in the country over the years.
He said, “The current economic environment in Nigeria is driven by the ‘change mantra’ of the Federal Government. We are also aware that the financial sector is at the centre of this drive for change.
“To this effect, existing financial policies such as the electronic payment system, Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS) and the Treasury Single Account (TSA) among others, which had hitherto being dormant, are now being given impetus. Perhaps, this is why this training conference is significant to me.
“It is my expectation that this training conference would enable Nigerian Army Finance Corps officers to appreciate the challenges likely to be posed by these new financial policies on our day-to-day operations.
“I want to acknowledge the efforts of the Corps towards efficient service delivery to the Nigerian Army. I have taken special note of your reforms in the areas of administration of troops pay and allowances.
“I am also aware of the pace set by the Nigerian Army Biometric Enrolment Exercise, which stands out as a model to other services and the nation at large.
“I, therefore, sincerely believe that the expected benefits the participants will derive from this conference will drive home my vision for the Nigerian Army which is to have a professionally responsive Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles.”
Source: Nigerian Tribune
Nigerian Tribune