By Sadiq Abubakar
Maiduguri
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Yusuf Tukur Buratai, at the weekend commissioned a Soldiers Club at the 7 Division, Nigerian Army Cantonment, Maimalari, Maiduguri, as part of the welfare packages for the soldiers.
He also commissioned the NTA Zonal Network Centre Studio Complex, Maiduguri, which was named after him.
Commissioning the Club, Buratai said the provision of such edifice was in line welfare package for officers and troops while commending the GOC, Brigadier-General Victor Irabor, for a job well done.
The COAS advised the soldiers to make judicious use of the Club to relax when they were back from the battle field, adding that the edifice was provided with all the modern facilities for relaxation.
He further directed the GOC to install three additional air conditioners in the Club.
Earlier, the GOC had said that in the cause of clearing the Boko haram terrorists from the North- east, the COAS had given approvals for the total overhauling of the Club to a befitting place for the soldiers to relax whenever they were back from the field and the Command was glad to have the COAS around to commission it.
While at the NTA Studio Complex, the COAS said based on the importance of information dissemination during the Boko Haram insurgency, the role of the media “can never be over emphasised and the military acknowledges the great role media play in the society.”
“As such, the Nigerian Army deemed it fit and necessary to support and encourage the coverage of military operations in the state and region by way of partnering with the NTA for effective information dissemination across the north east region,” he said.
He assured that the army would continue to partner with the media and support them in any way possible to disseminate the activities of the military, “especially the theater command operations which center of Operation Lafiya Dole towards eliminating terror and ending the insurgency.”
Buratai appealed to the NTA management to ensure timely dissemination of information and coverage of the military activities in the state and region at large.
He also assured that the army was prepared and competent to fight the terrorists to an end while appealing for support and objective reportage of the activities of the Operation Lafiya Dole.