The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has lauded the South East Governors for their continuous support of their officers in the fight against insecurity in the region.

Lagbaja gave the commendation when he and his men paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State at the Government House, Enugu, on Tuesday.

He said that the support from the security agencies had contributed to the peace in the zone.

The army chief said, “I am reassured that the support of the governor of Enugu State as well as other governors in the southeast through the efforts of our troops has created a stable, peaceful, and enabling environment for the economy of the southeast.”

He said that following his assumption of office as Chief of Army Staff on June 23, 2023, he had taken out time to visit formations and units of the Nigerian Army to assess the deployment of troops across the country.

This, he said, was in a bid to address some challenges confronting the troops and improve their operational effectiveness.

“I want to start by apologising that I am just coming to Enugu six months after assumption of office, owing to the fact that I am still there since the knowledge of the troops deployment to the security challenges in southeast zone.

“I arrived Enugu State this morning for operational visit to 82 Division, and the General Commanding Officer (GOC), Maj. Gen. Hassan Dada, had taken time to brief me on the operational situation and effort of the division to combat the threats.

“I want to appreciate his Excellency and the good people of Enugu State for the support you have provided to 82 Division, 103 Battalion, and other deployments we have across state,” he said.

According to him, through Mbah’s support, the troops were able to show presence in operation centres, conduct patrols, and conduct other operations to create stability and peaceful environment.

He promised that the headquarters would take steps to address and look into the areas the governor pointed out in a bid to expand the frontier of peace and stability in the state.

“I want to pledge continued support of the formation and units of the Nigerian Army through the effort of the Enugu State Government to ensure that peace reigns in this state, as well as thank his excellency and good people of the state for being host to our troops and their families.

“We will continue to remain loyal and worthy partners to you towards realising your wonderful plan for the people of the state by having our men on ground at Isi-Uzo Council Area, as it is our desire to rid the area of criminal elements.

Responding, Mbah commended Lagabaja for the visit, which he described as homecoming for him having served as GOC of 82 Division, Enugu.

The governor said that when he assumed office on May 29, 2023, he executed a social pact by signing a social contract with the people of the state.

According to him, I promised them that Enugu will be one of the top three states in the country in terms of their GDP and that they are going to grow their economy from the current level of $4.4 billion to $30 billion.

“We also said to them that our mission is to make the state the premier destination for investment, living, tourism, and business, adding that all these will not be achieved where there is insecurity.

“Private sector investment does not agree with insecurity. So, we immediately recognised that if we must keep to our pact of this bargain with the Enugu people, we must address the challenges of insecurity frontally,” he said.

While acknowledging the tireless efforts, support, and commitment of the army chief and his men in securing the state, the governor said, “Today we can proudly say that we are on the part of fulfilling those promises we made to our people.

“We can now boldly say that the so-called Monday’s sit-at-home has been bid goodbye in Enugu, and we are going to continue to provide the necessary support to sustain and improve the state of security.

He, however, requested the chief of army staff to approve the setting up of an army barracks in the Isi-Uzo Council Area of the state to help fight insecurity in the area. (NAN) 

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