By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri-
The Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has congratulated the new Chief of Army Staff, Major General Farouk Yahaya, who recently assumed office following his appointment on Thursday.
Zulum, in a statement on Saturday by his spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of a serving Theatre Commander of “Operation Hadin Kai” Headquarters in Borno State, once again, reflects Buhari’s consistency of making the insurgency affecting the North-East, as the priority of his presidency.
“With the appointment of General Yahaya, the country has retained the advantage of having in place, service chiefs who have all served in Borno and have sufficient operational knowledge in the fight against Boko Haram and ISWAP”..
While warmly congratulating the new Chief of Army Staff, Gov. Zulum said: “I will like to gladly acknowledge that Mr. President’s choice of Major General Farouk Yahaya, who was in Maiduguri as Theatre Commander of the Joint Armed Forces battle against insurgents”.
“He was a deliberate reaffirmation of Mr. President’s consistency of placing the insurgency facing the northeast, as the top most priority of the Presidency”.
“Because addressing the insurgency in the Northeast has the potential of stabilizing the Nation in general. It is worth recollecting, that both the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and current Chief of Defence Staff, General Leo Irabor, were appointed based on their experiences of having served as Theatre Commanders in Borno”.
“Whie leading operations against insurgents, the current Chief of Air Staff, had also served as Deputy Theatre Commander in Borno, while the Chief of Naval Staff had also served in Borno, with insight on counter insurgency operations”.
“It is clear that Mr. President is focused on the North-East, given the fact that the insurgency challenges have lingered for 12 years now and had resulted in countless deaths, displacements of citizens and destructions of communities”, Zulum said.
The Governor, however, said he was optimistic that with their experiences and knowledge of the insurgency in the North-East, the service chiefs alongside other heads of security establishments at the national and geo-political levels, would combine efforts to end the insurgency as soon as it can happen.
“I please urge the people of Borno to remain prayerful and supportive of the military and other security establishments, while on our part, Government of Borno State shall, insha’Allah remain relentless in supporting the military, other security establishments and volunteers in our our collective and unbending commitment to finding enduring peace in Borno and by extension, the northeast and rest of Nigeria”, Zulum said.
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