You have qualities of soldiers, Army committee tells Borno Governor

The House of Representatives Committee on Army has described Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima as a courageous leader with qualities inherent in soldiers at battle fronts.

‎The committee gave this verdict when its members, led by Representative Prestige Chinedu Ossy ‎paid a courtesy call on Shettima at the Government House, Maiduguri on Thursday, during an assessment visit to States within the northeast.

‎“Mostly, we see you in the war front, in those areas where we think only those trained in military capability should be. So we deemed it fit to pay you this courtesy call to encourage you in all your efforts in making sure that this state is freed from terrorists. ‎There is no way for us to come to a state like Borno without visiting the chief security officer whom we all know has been in the forefront of this war despite the fact that he is a civilian.

“We the members of Committee on Army have come to the Northeast to look at the developments in the Military purchases of arms and ammunitions to fight terrorism in the Northeast and as members of the Committee on Army we have constitutional responsibility to oversight the army. T‎he present government has done so much in giving their best in terms of provision of arms and ammunitions to fight terrorism and it is also our constitutional right to see whether those thing that we appropriated in the National Assembly were judiciously put to use in those areas” Ossy told Shettima.

‎In his response to members of the Committee, Shettima expressed delight over their visit and solicited more support to the Nigerian Army.

“Anything that affects a fisherman in Eket invariably affects a groundnut farmer in Kauran Namoda. We are one nation tied to a common destiny and for you to come and see the tragedy unfolding in the Northeast -which sadly Borno is at the centre, is a welcome development. If the war will come to an end, it is the greatest gift we are going to bequeath to the future generation” Shettima said.

Commenting on national debate, the Governor added voice to the one billion dollars support by Governors in the fight against Boko Haram.

“The $1Billion that we approved for the execution of this war should be divorced from politics and sentiments. If there is crisis in the Niger-Delta or any part of this country, we owe that obligation to posterity and humanity to forge a common front irrespective of our differences in political affiliation, religious persuasion, sectional or tribal backgrounds. ‎‎We have to support and commend the Nigerian Armed Forces because they are doing a very good job. I want you to support them in every way possible in order to boost their morale” Shettima concluded.