OndoReporter | Oshiomhole hails Army Chief on terror war

OndoReporter | Oshiomhole hails Army Chief on terror war



Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has
commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen.
Yusuf Tukur Buratai for his exemplary
leadership style which has led to successes in
the fight against terrorists, saying the Army
Chief’s style motivates the officers and men on
the battlefield.

Speaking when the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.
Gen. Buratai paid him a courtesy visit at the
Government House on Wednesday, Comrade
Oshiomhole said, “we in Edo State appreciate
the leadership that you are providing for the
Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian Army
in particular.

We watch you on television and we see a very
senior officer going to meet his officers and
men right in the battle field, sharing the dust,
the sun and all the deprivations, the sort of
thing you sometime see in foreign countries. I
think that you are leading by example in every
sense of the word.

“Yes, Boko Haram has not exactly disappeared,
but there is no doubt that they themselves will
in their own way appreciate that things have
changed, that the Nigerian side is better. They
no longer have that audacity, that impunity to
move freely without fear. So, you are doing a
terrific job for Nigeria, and I believe that we
are the beneficiaries, we the civilian
population.”

He continued, “Nigeria doesn’t have
boundaries, North East, North West, South
East. It is just one. And I know that at a point,
the Boko Haram elements had gotten up to
Kogi. If that situation had continued, it was
clear that by now some of us can’t sit here
presiding over government affairs.

So, we are very impressed with your
leadership, we are impressed with your style,
we are impressed and excited with your total
commitment that people can see from your
body language and from your action in the
battle field.

We can only pray that God will give you more
strength, more wisdom and even better
courage that this war which is already won
that you sustain it, and in the very near future
our brothers and sisters who have been
displaced, some of whom are in Edo State, will
have the confidence to be able to return to
their various homes and get on with their lives
the way it was before the word ‘Boko Haram’
ever emerged in our national discourse.

“Let me also thank you, sir, that your officers
at the 4th Brigade under the leadership of the
Brigade Commander, his officers and men;
they have been very terrific in helping us to do
what is not conventional in military duty, in
complementing the efforts of the police in day-
to-day security related issues.

We have what we call ‘Operation Thunder
Storm’, and your officers and men have been
wonderful through that scheme helping us to
maintain and to fight criminality, violent
crimes, kidnappings and armed robbery.

And you know when our people see the army
uniform, it instills the sense of discipline in the
people, and that is because the Nigerian Army
has, in spite of the challenges you have had in
terms of poor funding, or even diversion of
funds, conducted itself in a way that it
commands respect in the eyes of the Nigerian
people.”

He added, “For us in Edo State, the army is
part of the Edo community and we see the
barracks as an extension of the community.
And many of our children are attending
schools that are located within the barracks.
So, we are very thankful, very appreciative for
the support that we have enjoyed from officers
and men of the Nigerian Army under the
brigade here in Benin.

“Yes, Boko Haram is still there, but obviously
there is no doubt it no longer has that capacity
to harass us. I think whatever they do now is
like a dead snake, it might still continue to
wriggle its body, but it’s dead. It is only with
time that the teeth will be removed.

“So, congratulations on your efforts. I believe
the Nigerian people appreciate. We also
congratulate the Commander-in-Chief for his
leadership. What has also come out in recent
times is that no matter how serious the
Nigerian Army is, if the Commander-in-Chief is
not clear and doesn’t provide the right
leadership, the army will to that extent be
constrained. President Muhammadu Buhari is
exactly the kind of person we need at this
time, when Nigeria is in distress, we need
someone to give all of us the sense of
confidence. And there is a leadership that we
can trust, a leadership that commands respect
and a leadership with integrity.”

Speaking earlier, the Chief of Army Staff,
Lieutenant General Buratai said he was on a
familiarization visit to army formations and
units in Edo State.

He said, “Your Excellency, I am here today in
Edo State on a familiarization visit to my units
and formations here within the 2 Division areas
of responsibility. I was in Ibadan yesterday,
and today I am here in Benin. I have visited
the 4 Brigade as well as the Nigerian Army
School of Supply and Transport.

“I am here to formally get myself acquainted
with the officers and soldiers of the Brigade
and also to assess their performances in
various duties, both internal as well as the
operation Pulo Shield as well as the
administrative, logistics and operational
challenges. So, Your Excellency, I deemed it
necessary to pay you a courtesy call as a
mark of respect and also as a mark of a very
good relationship that has been existing
between the good government of Edo State
ably led by you and the Nigerian Army
formations and units here.”

He said, “I want to appreciate most sincerely
despite the short notice you accepted to host
me this evening. I appreciate you Your
Excellency, and I want to assure you that the
Nigerian Army, in spite of its constitutional role
will continue to support the state government
in its discharge of its sensitive security
responsibilities that have been enshrined and
mandated in the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. For this, I must commend
the 4 Brigade for its good relationship not only
with the State Government, but other security
agencies, and this collaborative effort has
really stabilized the security situation here, and
I want to assure you that this will be
maintained.

“The Nigerian Army will continue to observe
the rules of engagement which are properly
backed up with the necessary laws of the
nation. And I want to assure you that the
Nigerian Army will remain professional and
remain responsive to the needs and
aspirations of the State in terms of security.
Thank you, Your Excellency. I am pleased to
be here. I thank you for all the support.”