1st October, 2016
Mr John Gaul-Lebo, Speaker of the Cross River House of Assembly, on Saturday in Calabar called for adequate funding for the Nigerian Army, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Gaul-Lebo told NAN that more funding for the armed forces would boost the morale of the troops by helping them to re-strategise on the fight against insurgency and other heinous crimes in the country.
He used the occasion of Nigeria’s 56th Independence Anniversary to commend the armed forces on the fight against insurgency in the North-East, noting that it was always difficult to fight a war of such magnitude.
Gaul-Lebo said that though the activities of the Boko Haram sect had killed thousands of people and rendered others homeless, the Nigerian Armed Forces had been able to restore peace in the affected communities.
According to him, the President Muhammdau Buhari-led administration had re-engineered the troops by giving them the confidence to curb the activities of the sect.
“As we celebrate Nigeria’s 56th independence anniversary, I wish to specially commend the Nigerian Army for the ongoing fight against insurgency in North-East Nigeria.
“I am calling on Mr President to allocate more funds to the Nigerian Army with a view to giving them an edge in the fight against insurgency and other forms of illegality.
“The Nigerian Army needs sophisticated equipment and current communication gadgets to help them win the war against the Boko Haram sect.
“Today, Boko Haram has been degraded and demoralized because the troops are moving in closely to curb all their activities”, he said.
He also called on all Nigerians to support the Buhari-led government with a view to overcoming the present economic challenges in the country.