The new Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj. Gen. T.A Lagbaja and Chief of Air Staff (CAS), AVM H.B Abubakar, on Wednesday, marked the Eid-el-Kabir celebration with troops in Maiduguri.

Addressing them during a Sallah lunch at Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri, Mr Lagbaja said the visit was symbolic, being his first engagement outside Abuja since he assumed office as COAS.

“My dear officers and soldiers, I count it a thing of joy to be here with you this afternoon to felicitate with you on the occasion of the celebration of the Eid-el- Kabir feast of sacrifice.

“Eid-el-Kabir celebration teaches us about sacrifice and faith in the Almighty and I believe there is no better place to celebrate it than here in the northeast where our gallant troops have continued to give their all to restore peace to our dear country,” Lagbaja said.

He lauded the courage and dedication of the troops deployed in the ongoing operations within and outside the country and promised to provide the needed leadership that is result oriented.

While reiterating his commitment to the numerous achievements of his predecessors, the new chief assured troops of improved welfare.

“For me, I consider my appointment as COAS as a call to greater sacrifice towards engendering change and making a difference to our system.

“To this end, I captured my command philosophy as to transform the NA into a well-trained, equipped, and highly motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.

“I equally use this opportunity to express my gratitude to Mr President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the confidence reposed in me to lead the NA at this point in time.

“I reaffirm the unalloyed loyalty of officers and soldiers of the NA to the Nigerian constitution and the government of the day,” Mr Lagbaja said.

The Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. I.S Ali, congratulated the service chiefs for their new appointment and show of concern to troops in North East.

“This Joint Sallah Luncheon avails the Special Guest of Honour and the Service Chiefs the opportunity to commemorate and celebrate the spirit of the Eid-el-Kabir with troops of Operation HADIN KAI, especially the Muslim faithful.

“The gesture is also to appreciate the enormous efforts and immense sacrifices by troops in restoring peace and normalcy to the entire North East area.

“We are indeed most thankful for the concern for the welfare of the troops deployed for operation Hadin Kai as visits such as this spur the troops to strive for more successes,” Ali said.

He expressed joy over the maiden visit to the theatre, which he said came with benefits in terms of heightened troops morale, equipment support and provision of strategic guidance for operational activities.

The commander noted that the troops performance had forced terrorists to keep surrendering in drove, as 99,936 terrorists and their families so far surrendered.

Mr Ali reiterated the commitment of troops to sustain the tempo until everything was over.

(NAN)