#Prayer and Support for the Nigerian Armed Forces and other Security Agencies, PSNAFSA hereby congratulates Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, for his recent appointment as the 23rd Chief of Army Staff, COAS by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on June 19,2023.
The appointment of Lagbaja did not come to many as a surprise. Rather, it shows that the Tinubu-led administration must have taken into consideration experience, professionalism and leadership skills before settling for him, to formulate and execute policies towards the highest attainment of National Security and operational competence of the Nigerian Army and by extension, secure the territorial integrity of the country.
Having transverse combat operations in the air, water and land, with evident and remarkable feats in security operations, he has also demonstrated an ability to handle a combination of high volume and high complexity incidents , especially in Operation HARMONY IV , the Bakassi Peninsula, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Operation ZAKI.
His operational experience spans several significant missions which included Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Operation MESA/Operation UDOKA and Operation FOREST SANITY, among others.
The new COAS can be described as a true leader who leads by example and one who demonstrates to others how the work is done. His simplicity and astuteness , in addition to his experience, skill, insight, creativity and resourcefulness has stood him out in every given Military assignment.
It will not be out of place to state that his choice for the exalted position in the Nigerian Army is the right step in the right direction at tackling insecurity in Nigeria.
This group and all Nigerians therefore look forward to his ability at applying geographical approaches to map and analyze crime occurrences with a view to arresting factors responsible for violent crimes in Nigeria.
As he hits the ground running by selecting key senior Army officers to work with his Strategic Guidance, it is expected that progressive paths will be charted towards tackling the security challenges confronting the country, as well as building bridges across the Services and Agencies through robust joint, interagency and intergovernmental framework to confront the current security challenges.
Mrs Mary Abayomi-Fatile
Convener, PSNAFSA
