The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, says some of the newly commissioned female officers will be deployed to the Intelligence, Signal and Ordnance Corps, where their services are needed.

Mr. Buratai spoke on the role of female officers in the army after the Passing out Parade of 133 Cadets, including 18 females from the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna on Saturday.

Eight of the females were commissioned into the Nigerian Army.

“We have a situation whereby we have to bring them – female officers on board. We have considered several options and several implications as regard our cultural sensitivities and general environment.

“We need to have them where they will have to play their role in the military. We need to address the issue of gender both in peace and war times”, he said.

Mr. Buratai, a Lieutenant General, also said that female combatant officers were needed both in the background and fore front.

“Look at what we are facing in the North East, majority of the Internally Displaced Persons are females, female officers have important roles to play for the IDPs, to find a way to take care of them being the same female folk in terms of cultural issues.”

On whether army operations would be reviewed to favour the female officers, he said that Nigeria would not be an exception as other countries recruit female officers and deploy to artillery and armoured corps.

The army chief explained that female soldiers had been in theatre of war in the country. He added, however, that these were the first female cadets trained and commissioned as combatant officers.

“But by and large, we are working on policy that will address female deployment both in combatant and peace times,” Mr. Buratai said.

(NAN)