By Muhammad Tijjani
Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa assumed leadership of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps on Friday in Kaduna state at the Headquarters, Infantry Corps Centre Jaji Military Cantonment.
Musa’s assumption as the Infantry Corps Commander followed the recent Nigerian Army redeployment of its officers and men to various units, commands and theatres across the country.
The Corps Commander, was posted from Theatre Command North-East Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), where he served as Theatre Commander, before taking over of the Infantry Corps from Maj.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu.
Ezugwu, the erstwhile Commander of the Corps, was posted as the Deputy Commandant and Provost of the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, Abuja.
Ezugwu, in his address, thanked God and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, for giving him the opportunity to serve as the 15th Commander of the Corps.
Describing the new Commander as a well celebrated General in the Infantry Corps, he said that he had wealth of experience from Theatre Operation Hadin Kai to fall back to in his new assignment as the Infantry Corps Commander.
“I know Musa for a very long time now, he is someone I can vouch for his pedigree to even take the Infantry Corps to a greater heights than I did,” he said.
Ezugwu, while praying to God to guide the new Commander in the discharge of his duties, thanked the soldiers and officers of the Corps for the support they gave him through out his leadership.
He urged them to extend the same support to the new commander for the corps to keep soaring higher, being the centre of gravity of the Nigerian Army.
Also, the new Commander, Musa, thanked the Chief of Army Staff for finding him worthy of the appointment.
He said that the dream of every officer, especially the Infantry, was to be the commander of his corps.
“My dream is fulfilled today,” Musa said.
He noted that coming from Theatre Operation Hadin Kai, things he observed there would be subjected to improvement in the Infantry Corps to move it forward.
He thanked Ezugwu for his feat in the corps.
He said Ezugwu was a professional in everything he did, noting that he would build upon his legacies in taking the Infantry Corps to greater heights.
“We have been together since in the Nigerian Defence Academy where we met in 1986; we have gone a very long way.
“About five to six years ago, I handed over to him as the Commandant of Depot Nigerian Army in Zaria and today I am taking over from him as the Corps Commander Infantry, we have followed each other closely,” he said.
Musa promised to sustain the values of the Infantry Corps which he said were dedication to duty, valour and honesty, so that the Corps would continue to occupy its rightful place.
“We will make sure the Corps keeps soaring higher, we have moved to asymmetric warfare which is the world order; we will continue training our men to keep up to the challenges,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the high points of the event were signing of the handing and taking over notes by the outgoing and incoming Commander, decoration of the incoming Commander with command insignia and group photograph.(NAN)
