The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, has met with retired senior military officers from the South West to discuss ways out of the current security challenges in the country.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting on Thursday at the Headquarters of 2 Division Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Irabor said it was part of efforts aimed at tracing root causes of security challenges in the country.

He said the meeting was to tap from the wealth of experience and knowledge of the retired officers and other stakeholders.

“Whatever experience and solutions gathered from the meeting will help in tackling various security challenges in Nigeria.

“With your wealth of experience and knowledge acquired over the years, we believe there is no better cross-section of Nigerians that should better be engaged than you.

“You are most qualified and knowledgeable on issues of security and because of this, we have brought you here. You know security issues in your neighbourhood,” Irabor said.

The CDS urged the participants to be sincere, forthcoming and open during the meeting, urging them to be committed to the unity, peace and progress of the country.

Irabor said the armed forces would leverage the wealth of experience of the retired officers for the betterment of the region and Nigeria in general.

The CDS said the military had been re-assessing its operational engagement on daily basis to improve the security of the country.

In his remark, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Gold Chibuisi, appreciated the CDS for trying to tap from the experience of the retired senior officers.

Chibuisi said they had a critical role to play in assisting the nation to tackle the security challenges in Southwest and Nigeria in general.

Also speaking, Rear Admiral Frederick Ugu, Chief of Defence Civil-Military Cooperation (CDCIMIC), said the retired officers could not be overlooked because of their experiences on security issues.

Ugu said a similar meeting would be held across the country to further tap from the experiences of the retired officers. (NAN)

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