Buhari Commends Military Over Boko Haram Fight

PRESIDENT-BUHARI-BLAIR-HOUSE

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the Nigerian military for the increased attack on Boko Haram insurgents. He urged them to maintain the momentum until they are totally defeated and the North-East liberated.

President Buhari commended the military when Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, AlhajiĀ Ismaila Aliyu, and his team, paid the president a visit at the Presidential Villa to brief him on the activities of the ministry and that of Defence Headquarters.

Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Aliyu said that the defence ministryĀ was not involved in the procurement of arms for the nationā€™s Armed Forces in recent years.

According to him, the president has, therefore directed that the ministry be co-opted into theĀ 13-man investigative committee to probe the procurement of hardware and ammunition for the Armed Forces.

ā€œWe briefedĀ Mr. President on the activities of the ministry and Defence Headquarters and he was happy with the operations of the ministry, the operation we are in now is the fight against insurgency. There isĀ substantial progress and achievements to talk about. He has asked us toĀ continue with the momentum and is very willing to support the needs of the Armed Forces,ā€ Aliyu said.

Speaking further, he noted that ā€œthe ministry was involved in the procurement of armsĀ sometime ago, but in recent years, the responsibility was shifted to theĀ servicesā€.

Ismaila expressed happiness with the establishment of the committee to probe the past procurement of military hardware,Ā explaining that the president directed during the meeting that the ministry be co-opted into the probe panel.

ā€œMr. President has asked that the Ministry of Defence be included in that (arms probe) committee.

ā€œThe ministry was involved in the procurement inĀ those years, so definitely we have something to present to thatĀ committee.

ā€œSo, we are part and parcel of that committee. The ministry is veryĀ excited that this committee has been formed; because our own concernĀ apart from the administrative and financial support is to make sureĀ that policy thrust is complied with.

ā€œProcurement of relevantĀ equipment according to specification of Nigerian Armed Forces is beingĀ complied with and we are very happy with that. At the end of this, we hope to have procurement that will be value-added, cost effective and will meet our needs locally andĀ internationally.ā€