The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim, has assured that the security challenges facing the nation would soon become a thing of the past.

According to him, development and growth of the nation could only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace.

"With peace in the country, the armed forces would devote their energies and expertise to other professional challenges."

Meanwhile, former Head of the Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, has linked the menace of Boko Haram in the North and oil theft by militants in the Niger Delta to breakdown of cultural values in the country.

Admiral Ibrahim who spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital after a special prayer organised for him by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari over the weekend, urged Nigerians to give President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian armed forces maximum support to tackle the security challenges confronting the country.

According to him, the Nigerian armed forces are blessed with experts and professionals, who have served in various capacities and contributed immensely to ensuring peace in the West Africa sub-region.

He thanked the president for the confidence reposed in him and other service chiefs by appointing them into office. He also appreciated the emir and entire Kwarans for honouring him.

During the prayer session, Alhaji Sulu Gambari urged the chief of defence staff not to rest on his oars in entrenching peace in the country.

Shonekan, who spoke at the graduation ceremony of participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 5 2012 organised by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS)] in Abuja over the weekend, called on the Federal Government to facilitate employment for the teaming youths in the country as a way of checking insecurity.

The participants of the nine-month course were drawn from 19 Federal agencies including representatives of the Nigeria Army, National Assembly, Nigeria Prison Service, Police, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and personnel of the DSS.

Stressing the need for value reorientation, the former head of the ING explained that the country's age-old much cherished cultural values must be retraced and included in the curricula of schools so that the children can learn the proper ways of behavior right from their early days in the school system.