Nigeria Army Promotes 5000 Soldiers Fighting Boko Haram

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, made the announcement yesterday in Abuja, at the opening of the 2015 Chief of Army Staff Third Quarter conference at Army Headquarters.

He said that the approval of the promotion of the soldiers was one of the many measures introduced by the Army under his command to boost troops’ morale and reposition its operations.

He said, “Since we came on board, we have introduced several measures aimed at encouraging our troops to give their best in the service of their nation.

He added that it was also in line with the vision of the Army command to reward gallant troops in any way deemed fit to boost their combat readiness and willingness to serve fatherland.

“The approval of the accelerated promotion of 5,000 soldiers was to redeem the promise made by my predecessor to the troops fighting insurgents in the North-East.

“It is my belief that this promotion, coupled with other incentives, will encourage our troops to fight for our country,” he said.

Buratai who charged the officers and all personnel of the Nigeria Army to constantly maintain the required level of physical fitness, issued all Army officers and soldiers a December 15 deadline to shape up or face the medical board for appropriate disciplinary actions.

Buratai said under his watch, the Army had recorded major successes in fighting insurgency, improving its human rights credentials and troops’ welfare.

He said that his vision of entrenching professionalism and bequeathing a combat-ready Army to the nation was on course as commanders and troops had been fully briefed to key into the vision.