Army Boss Promotes 5,000 Soldiers Fighting Boko Haram

The Nigerian Army has approved the promotion of 5,000 soldiers fighting insurgents in the North-East and others involved in other operations, as part of steps to boost their morale.

The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, made the announcement on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the 2015 Chief of Army Staff third quarter conference held at the Army Headquarters conference hall.

He said the approval of the promotion of the soldiers was one of the many measures introduced by the Army under his command to boost troops’ morale and reposition its operations.

“Since we came on board, we have introduced several measures aimed at encouraging our troops to give their best in the service of their nation.

“The approval of the accelerated promotion of 5,000 soldiers was to redeem the promise made by my predecessor to the troops fighting insurgents in the North-East.

“It is my belief that this promotion, coupled with other incentives, will encourage our troops to fight for our country," he said.

Mr. Buratai said that the Army, under his watch, within the short period, had recorded major successes in the areas of fighting insurgency, improving its human rights credentials as well as improving the welfare of troops.