The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has expressed the Nigerian Army’s readiness to cooperate with the Implementation and Advisory Committee on the Reform of Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence.

Yahaya gave the assurance when the members of the committee led by retired Lt.-Gen. Abel Akale, visited Army Headquarters on Wednesday in Ábuja.

Akale represented the Chairman of the committee and former Chief of Army Staff, retired Maj.-Gen. Alwali Kazeem.

The COAS said that Army Headquarters had confidence in the committee looking at its composition and calibre of the members of the committee.

He said that army was committed to make input when necessary, adding that the service had a good representative on the committee.

According to him, army cannot expect anytime less from a committee that has former Chief of Army Staff and former principal staff officers, General Officer Commanding, commanders and commandant as well as other retired senior officers.

He commended the members of the committee for their continuous support for the armed forces and Nigerian army in particular.

Earlier, the representative of the committee chairman said the implementation and advisor committee was inaugurated recently following the approval of the recommendations of the reform committee by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the visit to the Defence and Services Headquarters was to ensure that the implementation of the reforms was done seamlessly across the services and the ministry.

Akale disclosed that the committee expected to receive observations from the various service, adding that the implementation would require the action of all and sundry.

He commended the army chief for being responsive to the committee and the representative of Nigerian army on the committee for his input so far.

According to him, the aim and purpose is the reform is for the good of the country and armed forces as a whole to make them better for the nation.

“I am sure many of you may have one thing of the other how we have operated in the recent past which perhaps may not be the best and if we have to vet the best, then we need to carry you along.

“We need your input to help in the implementation of the recommendations.

“That essentially is why we are here today,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, on Sept. 28, inaugurated a 24-Man Implementation/Advisory Committee to drive the implementation of the recommendations on the Reform Committee on armed forces reforms.

The committee was to among other things, examine the recommendations of the Reform Committee’s report and classify them into immediate, short, medium, and long term as appropriate.