A former Commander of the Nigerian Army Education Corps Major General Sunday Adebayo (retd.) has said the Army is now better prepared to respond to the country's security challenges because soldiers now have better training.

But Adebayo, who spoke in an interview with reporters during his pull-out at Sobi Barracks, Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Monday, lamented the current economic crisis in the country had affected the military. He said the government provided almost everything the military needed in the 70s, regretting that things had changed.

Adebayo said the Army had been able to respond to the county's security challenges, including the Boko Haram insurgency because the troops had modern training. According to Adebayo, the current training is better and richer than the previous training for soldiers.

He said, "The Nigerian Army is well prepared for insecurity and the Boko Haram insurgency because of the level of training now is better than what it used to be." The retired military officer commended the Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai for emphasising on the training and retraining of soldiers.

He said although the Army was being confronted with the daunting task of ensuring security alongside other services and agencies in Nigeria, it was ready for the challenge.

He added, "There are so many differences now. I started from the military school. In those days, everything was available from your books to your uniform. But these days, because of the economic crisis, some of those things are not available. You have to get them for yourself."

Adebayo said the review of the training curriculum at the Nigerian Army School of Education was designed to make the courses relevant to the vision and the challenges the Army was facing.

Adebayo said, "The recent approval of a degree programme by the Nigerian Army in NASE is a fulfillment of the dreams of our founding fathers. This is a project that required absolute commitment by both retired and serving officers of the corps."

He called on the acting Commander, NASE, Brig.Gen. Lawal Abdullahi to harness the available resources to enhance the proficiency of the NAEC personnel in performing their duties. He also said the military and political leadership had found a solution to the recurring cattle rustling in some part of Nigeria.