service chiefs and warned that none of them should sleep until
Nigerians living in parts of the country currently under the siege of
terrorists could sleep with their two eyes closed.
Jonathan, who said he did not know whether to congratulate or
sympathise with the new service chiefs because of the circumstances of
the moment, said the war against terror must be won.
He said, "None of us will sleep till the Nigerians living in Borno
State can sleep. That is why I say today is not a moment for major
statements.
"We will be having very positive talks from time to time, but
definitely, Nigerians will tell you, what they expect from us, we must
not fail this country and I believe this team will work together to be
assisted by other intelligence services because the war against terror
must be won."
While saying that he was convinced that he had selected the best team
at this time, the President advised them not to disappoint him and
other Nigerians.
Those decorated with their new ranks were the Chief of Defence Staff,
Air Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah;
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Usman Jibrin; and the Chief of Air
Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu.
Badeh, in his vote of thanks, said while security challenges in the
North-East were surmountable, Nigerians must be ready to make
sacrifices so that more resources could be channelled to the that war
against terror.
He said that the military would review and adopt more proactive
measures to tackle those he described as enemies of the country.
He said, "Our dear country is today faced with a number of security
challenges, the most prominent of which are the activities of
extremists in the North-East, illegal oil bunkering and other criminal
activities in the Niger Delta.
"These security challenges are inimical to any meaningful development.
Accordingly, the Nigerian military and other security agencies are
poised more than ever before to review and adopt more proactive
measures to contain and defeat the enemies of our country so that
Nigerians can go about their lawful activities in an atmosphere of
peace and security.
"I want to remind us all that when a nation's military is at war, it
is the whole nation that is at war. Accordingly, we must all make
sacrifices here and there so that more resources could be channelled
to the prosecution of the war against terror.
"The successful prosecution of any war or internal security challenges
and subsequent restoration of peace and stability are crucial for any
meaningful development to take place."
He also promised that he would work hard ahead of the 2015 elections
to ensure that normalcy was restored in the affected places so that
elections could hold there.
Badeh pledged the continued loyalty of members of the armed forces to
the nation's democracy.
He added, "I want to reassure Your Excellency and the good people of
Nigeria that the unity and indivisibility of our country are paramount
on our minds. The Armed Forces of Nigeria had fought once to keep
this country together, and we are doing it again in the North-East and
we are ready to keep repeating it.
"Therefore, we appeal to our compatriots to continue to support the
Nigerian military in our efforts to keep the country united and to
ensure security, particularly in the North Eastern states where state
of emergency presently exists. The state of emergency is not intended
to unduly inconvenience our fellow citizens
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