From Molly Kilete, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has ordered immediate payment of all pending Group Life Assurance benefits owed to the next-of-kins of families of soldiers killed in the cause of service to the nation.
The president also directed the Armed Forces and other security agencies to end the insecurity in the country in the shortest possible time.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, who made the disclosure, said the army has established some special units, with specially trained personnel, to tackle various security challenges across the country.
He further stated that the special forces units have continued to record tremendous successes through intelligence-led operations and the use of special equipment.
Gen Lagbaja spoke when he declared open the combined 2nd and 3rd Quarters Chief Of Army Staff Conference 2023, at the Army Headquarters Command Officers Mess Abuja.
The COAS said: “The Federal Government has a scheme called the Group Life Assurance. It is an insurance scheme designed to give succour to families of our departed heroes.
“This scheme works in such a way that the government pays premium to the insurance companies and, in the event of death, the insurance companies pay claims to the families of our departed heroes.
”However, we have a backlog between 2012 and 2022, when claims were not paid. And some people died in the cause of service to the nation. So, the insurance companies who are at liberty to pay the premium are not paying, and that is why the Federal Government has taken it upon itself to discharge that backlog, and bring relief to the families of our departed heroes.”
The army chief, who used the occasion to launch his vision and mission statement for the Nigerian army, said troops’ welfare and that of their families would continue to remain a priority to him as the COAS.
On insecurity, Lagbaja, while charging field commanders to ensure the maintenance of sophisticated platforms and equipment procured by the army, in order to prolong their life span and enable the nation to optimise its investment.
The army chief, who said the activities of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East, have drastically reduced the activities of Boko Haram terrorists and other criminal groups, said it was the reason for the mass surrender of terrorists and submission of a large cache of arms and ammunition.
He said the conference would afford participants the opportunity to evaluate the conduct of ongoing Nigerian Army (NA) operations, training and other activities in pursuit of its constitutional mandate and enable the army to make projections for the fourth quarter, as well as comprehensively review ongoing counter-terrorism counter-insurgency operations in the North East and North West and other army operational engagements across the country.
The weeklong conference is being attended by Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) at the Army Headquarters, General Officers Commanding (GOCs), Corps, Formations, Operations Commanders, Commandants of Nigerian Army schools, and tri service institutions, as well as select army officers holding key appointments.