President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Kaduna unveiled Made-in-Nigeria
\nMine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles for Nigerian Army’s
\ncounter-terrorism and other operations across the nation.<\/p>\n
The vehicles named Ezugwu MRAP were produced by the Defence Industries
\nCorporation of Nigeria (DICON), an indigenous firm, for the Nigerian
\nArmy, and launched by the President at the opening ceremony of the 2019
\nChief of Army Staff Annual Conference.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the occasion, President Buhari praised the gallant efforts
\nof the Nigerian Armed Forces in routing terrorists and combating
\ninsurgency in the on-going operations in the North East.<\/p>\n
He pledged that his administration will continue to support the military
\nto achieve its goals in addition to prioritising their welfare and that
\nof their families.<\/p>\n
On the Ezugwu MRAP, which will be mass-produced by DICON, the President
\nsaid:\u00a0 ”I note the collaborative efforts of the Command Engineering
\nDepot with relevant indigenous organisations to promote local content
\ntowards developing our military-industrial complex.<\/p>\n
”I am glad that the production of Ezugwu Mine Resistant Ambush
\nProtected (MRAP) vehicles which I will be unveiling today will join the
\ninfantry patrol vehicles that were earlier produced as testimony that
\nour efforts are yielding positive results.<\/p>\n
”Additionally, your efforts in terms of capacity building, training and
\nconduct of exercises are quite commendable.<\/p>\n
”I am aware that there are on-going field exercises such as Atilogwu,
\nUDO 1, Exercise Akpatuma 2 and Exercise Crocodile Smile 4, among other
\ncivil-military cooperation activities.<\/p>\n
”These are impressive efforts geared at enhancing the operational
\nefficiency of the army as well as facilitating a conducive security
\nenvironment for social, economic activities to thrive.”<\/p>\n
President Buhari also paid tribute to military personnel who had paid
\nthe supreme sacrifice in defending the sovereignty of the country.<\/p>\n
He urged the soldiers to abide by the ethics, ethos and code of conduct
\nof the military, while ensuring that human rights and international
\nhumanitarian laws are promoted and respected in the conduct of military
\noperations.<\/p>\n
Reaffirming his administration’s resolve to do everything within its
\nconstitutional power to ensure the security and safety of law-abiding
\ncitizens, President Buhari said: ”This is a commitment we have made and
\nwill continue to keep.”<\/p>\n
The President commended the laudable efforts of the Chief of Army Staff,
\nLt.-Gen Tukur Buratai, in transforming the Nigerian Army.<\/p>\n
”He has keyed into the Federal government Change Agenda and I
\nparticularly commend his thrust in the critical areas such as innovative
\nand inventive approach to produce military hardware, infrastructural
\ndevelopment, restructuring and reorganisations, among others, with
\nsignificant results particularly in the on-going counter-insurgency
\noperations and other operations across the country,” he said.<\/p>\n
Later, the President inaugurated 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital,
\nKaduna.<\/p>\n
The hospital was upgraded to a level 4 United Nations hospital to cater
\nfor the medical needs of the military and civilian population in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
In his goodwill message, Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna said the State
\nwas privileged to play host to several military formations, units,
\nschools and establishments, adding that this was beneficial in fostering
\nsynergy between the military and civilians.<\/p>\n
The governor specifically commended the Nigerian Army for their roles in
\nsustaining peace and security in Kaduna State, enumerating their efforts
\nat restoring peace and stability in Southern Kaduna, in addition to
\ndecimating the capacity of cattle rustlers and kidnappers operating in
\nthe state and its environs.<\/p>\n
Gov El-Rufai also lauded the army for playing a key role in confronting
\nthe menace of the outlawed ‘El-Zakzaky movement’, which had oppressed
\nthe people of Zaria for the last 30 years, as well as various corporate
\nsocial responsibilities including medical outreaches and infrastructure
\ninterventions in Kaduna State.<\/p>\n
In his remarks, the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi
\n(Rtd) thanked the President for his continuous support to the Nigerian
\nArmy, adding that the Federal Government would continue to support the
\nmilitary ahead of the final onslaught on Boko Haram in 2020.<\/p>\n
”The Nigerian Army has had a hectic year with a lot of operations
\nconducted to secure the territorial integrity of Nigeria. There is a
\nneed for a review of activities during this annual conference to prepare
\nfor next year’s final onslaught on Boko Haram,” he said.<\/p>\n
Also speaking, Lt. Gen. Buratai emphasised that the current
\ntransformation of the Nigerian Army to its current status of a
\nprofessional, highly-motivated, innovative and people-centric
\ninstitution commenced in 2015 when the President was sworn in for his
\nfirst term in office.<\/p>\n
According to the army chief, the conference themed ”Application of the
\nCutting Edge of the Nigerian Army in Tackling Contemporary Security
\nChallenges”, is aimed at evaluating efforts at achieving the overall
\nobjective of better positioning the Nigerian Army to face the task ahead
\nin the year 2020 and beyond.<\/p>\n
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Kaduna unveiled Made-in-Nigeria Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles for Nigerian Army’s counter-terrorism and other operations across the nation. The vehicles named Ezugwu MRAP were…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n