The Nigeria Army has approved the promotion of 5,000 soldiers fighting Boko Haram insurgents and others involved in other operations, as part of steps to boost their morale.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, made the announcement yesterday in Abuja, at the opening of the 2015 Chief of Army Staff Third Quarter conference at Army Headquarters.

He said that the promotion of the soldiers was done to boost the morale of troops and reposition its operations.

He also said that it was in line with the vision of the Army command to reward gallant troops in any way deemed fit to boost their combat readiness and willingness to serve their fatherland.

He said:
“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.”