Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, the recently appointed Chief of Army Staff, has restated his goal for repositioning the Nigerian Army to adopt a higher level of professionalism in handling the country’s security problems.

He made the pledge during a press conference shortly after paying a courtesy call on Governor Seyi Makinde at the Agodi State Secretariat in Ibadan.

Major General Lagbaja is in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, to officially inform the Governor on the activities of the 160th anniversary of the Nigerian Army, which is being held at the Nigerian Army’s 2 division in Ibadan.

Major General Lagbaja stated that he was ready to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, well-equipped, and operationally effective army capable of carrying out its statutory tasks.

The Chief of Army Staff also praised Governor Makinde for the various infrastructure support provided to the Nigerian Army’s 2 Division in Ibadan under his leadership.

While speaking, Governor Makinde of Oyo State charged the Nigerian Army leadership to engage their men and be focused on overcoming the nation’s internal security threats when receiving the Chief of Army Staff at his office.

Governor Makinde praised the Nigerian Army for its professionalism in ensuring that the recent general elections in Oyo State were free and fair.

The Chief of Army staff also paid homage to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Mahood Balogun where he solicited the support of traditional rulers to collectively wage war against insecurity.

Major General Lagbaja equally used his stay in the ancient city to hold a meeting with ex-service men in celebration of Nigerian Army day 2023.

He called on them to partner the military with their wealth of experiences gathered during their service years to tackle security issues head on.

He assured them that the military would always include the retired officers in the fight against militants and bandits who posed a threat to the nation’s growth.

The theme for this year’s Nigerian army day celebration is ” sound administrative as a panacea for effective military operations.”