GOC 6 Div commends Diri for supporting troops in Bayelsa
The General Officer Commanding 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Jamal Abdulsalam, on Thursday lauded Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa for supporting the army and troops posted in the state.
Abdulsalam, who led officers of the division to visit Diri in Government House Yenagoa said out of the four states under the division, he chose to visit Bayelsa first because of Diri’s tremendous assistance to the army.
Abdulsalam said: “The 6 Division Nigeria Army has Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Akwa Ibom states as part of its area of responsibility. However, out of these four states, of course, I am coming to pay this courtesy call to the governor.
“This is not by coincidence, it is because the Nigeria Army has enjoyed tremendous corporation and assistance from your government. This is well known and well documented. Our troops that are deployed to Bayelsa State have reported not once, not twice, constantly about the corporation they enjoy from Bayelsa State government”.
Abdulsalam recalled that during the flood disaster, the troops helped in evacuation and distribution of materials to victims saying the army was ready to assist the state in handling any issue of concern.
He said: “We pledge to always be ready to assist the state government wherever it needs our assistance not necessarily in terms of natural disasters, in any area the state government deems it fit that we can come to help we are ready, we are able and we are willing to help”.
The GOC urged Diri to help the army in developing the newly created 16 Brigade in the state especially in the area of providing accommodations for them.
“So I am just pleading with His Excellency in his normal and usual magnanimity to continue to assist us especially in terms of accommodation for our troops. Most of the soldiers are now living in town and they only come to the barracks in the morning to work which is not well in terms of how we operate.
“We are mindful of the fact that to build a house in Bayelsa is not the same with building house in my village, in Kano. If I want to build a house in Kano, if we start digging maybe before the next two, three hours, we will have the foundation ready.
But here I know the challenges and I know the cost implication”.
He, however, said: “Be that as it may, we are still pleading wherever it is possible even if it is one, two blocks that can be put in place to help ameliorate the problem for the soldiers.
“On our part, we will continue to do our job, we will continue to do the job the way it is supposed to be done, we will continue to deliver on our mandate to provide security wherever we are to ensure there is security of lives and properties. “We will con
