By Olamilekan FAWAS
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olanisakin on Wednesday urged Nigerians to embrace peace and work to sustain the relative peace, especially in the North East and Nigeria, in general.
At an exhibition in Mongunu to mark the 2018 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL), Olanisakin noted that with the degradation of the Boko Haram terrorists, peace and stability were returning to the region.
He also noted that internally displaced persons in the North East were now returning to their ancestral homes following the return of peace and security being provided by the army.
“This is a giant stride toward the achievement of sustainable peace and stability in the region as opposed to the past when armed banditry was the order of the day.
“I, therefore, congratulate the Chief of Army Staff, officers and men of the Nigerian Army for their courage and resilience in defending the territorial integrity of our dear country, Nigeria,” the CDS said.
He congratulated the Navy, Air Force and other security agencies for the supportive role they play in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists in the North East.
Olanisakin described the army as an instrument of unity, integration and development, stressing that security “is the bedrock of development”.
He said the exhibition, which features display of military hardware, was an indication that the army had keyed into the present administration’s drive for self-sufficiency and local production of some of the nation’s defence needs.
Also speaking, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno praised the army for its courage, saying that holding NADCEL in the state showed that the terrorists had been defeated.
Represented by his deputy, Alhaji Mamman Durkwa, Shettima said the reconstruction of the destroyed communities was ongoing.
Earlier, the army chief, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the voluntary return of IDPs to their ancestral homes in the North east, after decimation of the terrorists, was an indication that the “people have confidence in the army to protect and restore their dignity.”
