General Danjuma urges service chiefs to end terrorism without excuses

Former Chief of Army Staff, General Theophilus Danjuma, has asked service chiefs to end banditry across the country and return the nation to a state of peace with immediate effect.

He said there were “no excuses” for the lingering insecurity ravaging the country.

General Danjuma spoke at the book launch titled “Big Boots: Lessons from My Military Service” by Major General Solomon Udounwa (retd).

General Danjuma, who was the chairman of the event, extolled the virtues of the author and his commitment to excellence throughout his military career.

He said, “The number one problem today is security. We must end the pandemic and stop the killings that are going on in our country as soon as possible. Those of you who are still serving, no excuses. Absolutely none.”

Responding, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said the military is positioned and working tirelessly to restore peace across the country.

General Musa added that the armed forces will continue to uphold the values of service, integrity, and honour that define extreme military tradition.

He said, “Let me at least also mention to our distinguished chairman that the armed forces of Nigeria are positioned, willing, dedicated, and committed to ensuring that we restore peace and security in our own dear country. We shall not be deterred. There are going to be challenges, yes, but that’s why we’re here. I want to assure you that we have learned a lot from your record, very, very distinguished senior officers who have modelled us all through the years. We cannot afford to fail, and we will not fail.”

The author, Major General Udounwa (retd), said he was motivated by the desire to document his experiences for the younger generation.

“Well, I was motivated by a lot of factors. The first one is that the military profession thrives on experiential learning. That is to say, younger generations of military officers and soldiers require the experiences of those who served before them to learn, whether it’s issues of strategy, administration, operational management, and the rest.

“You know, if you don’t document your experiences, they could be lost, and those coming behind you might not be able to learn from all the exposure and training you had while in service. So, my book is going to be of interest to serving personnel, military historians, academia, people interested in national and international security affairs, and the general public. That was the motivation.”

He continued, “I hope the younger generation of officers who are still serving will learn from some of the challenges I faced and how I was able to navigate through them. I hope they will learn that serving in the military requires discipline, professionalism, integrity, character, courage, and many other virtues that an officer must display while undertaking his duties.”

He explained that the title of the book, “Big Boots,” was informed by the size of his feet and boots in the military.

“I faced bullies in primary school. But the day I decided to unleash my big feet on one of the bullies, it ended that reign of terror. And then when I joined the military, because my feet are very big, I was also given Big Boots, which went with me everywhere I served and which I used in trampling on terrorists and every other threat to our national security.”