From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Nigerian Army has denied reports attributing voluntary retirement of soldiers from service to alleged corruption, poor service conditions, and low morale.
It stated that recruitment into the service was voluntary with an extant policy on discharge and retirement of soldiers and officers like other organizations.
It has, therefore, urged the public to disregard the rumour making the rounds on social media, describing it as a concoction of the imagination of the unrepentant enemies of the nation and mischief-makers.
A statement signed by Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, read in part: “The allegation that soldiers of the Nigerian Army (NA) are proceeding on voluntary retirement due to alleged corruption, poor service conditions and low morale as recently reported by some media outfits in the social media is nothing but a concoction of the imagination of the unrepentant enemies of the nation and mischief makers and should be out rightly discountenanced by the public.”
Nwachukwu dismissed the report as “a distraction and another failed attempt at dampening the morale and fighting will of the loyal, dedicated and patriotic fighting force of the Nigeria Army,” adding that the condition of service “provides its personnel with the opportunity to apply for voluntary discharge when they deem fit and meet the terms and conditions.
“It is therefore not an aberration that the COAS granted approval for 91 NA/32/4792 WO NDAGANA ISHIAKU and 242 others to voluntarily discharge from the NA, as being unprofessionally manipulated by some media.
“Given the pedigree and mannerism of the publisher of the ill-fated report, it is clear, that it is targeted at deflating the high morale of troops by downplaying recent critical interventions by the COAS, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya on troops’ welfare, which include car loans, housing loans, extensive construction of new accommodation, a massive renovation of old and dilapidated accommodation, the building of befitting residences and issuing of vehicles to regimental sergeant majors, scholarship awards to children and wards of fallen heroes and other unique interventions in the theatres of operation to sustain the heightening morale of troops. These interventions evidently account for troops’ game-changing onslaught in the Northeast,” Nwachukwu said.