Army will maintain its alliances in order to increase operational efficiency -Lagbaja.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, says the Nigerian Army will cooperate with credible stakeholders in the military and security sectors for the procurement of required equipment and platforms.
He insisted this action was essential to improving the efficiency of military operations.
On Tuesday in Abuja, Lagbaja addressed the audience at the Army Headquarters Fourth Quarter 2023 Procurement Seminar.
The new foreign exchange policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria poses challenges for the Nigerian armed forces, which will be discussed during the seminar.
The COAS stated that the recent CBN foreign exchange policy, together with all other government measures, were essential to the fulfilment of the army’s constitutional responsibility.
He also said that the FX policy had continued to have negative repercussions on the Nigerian army’s contracts, leading to adverse requests for payment variations.
The Chief of Army Staff said that improving communication across different groups was crucial to maximising the value of government funding and effectively managing modern security environments.
According to Lagbaja, the army’s procurement directorate was set up so that it could make the most efficient use possible of the money allocated to it for various contracts and projects.
He claims that contractors will be prohibited from taking advantage of the troops under his command.
The COAS expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Defence, the National Security Adviser, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Bureau of Public Procurement, and other stakeholders for their assistance to the Nigerian Army.
He was hopeful that the conference would inspire a fresh resolve to create and maintain an effective procurement system in line with global best practises.
The Director of Procurement (Army), Maj.-Gen. Adeyinka Adereti, stated that the seminar was conducted to further familiarise attendees with the fundamentals of operational contract support in the dynamic global environment.
According to Adereti, public procurement and foreign exchange policies and regulations have continued to serve as a guide for the awarding of contracts and the acquisition of platforms.
According to him, the need to hold the procurement seminar arose from the fact that global procurement processes had taken a new direction as a result of shifts in the international system and the current security climate.