SOLDIERS IN TROUBLED STATES BEING SHORTCHANGED - TAMBUWAL • REPS TO PROBE FUNDING OF MILITARY OPERATIONS • STOP INCITING SOLDIERS, MILITARY WARNS POLITICIANS

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, on Thursday, disclosed that there are complaints from soldiers operating in some troubled states in the country on how they are not being well motivated, concluding that the House would soon pass a resolution to probe military operations in affected states.

The Speaker, who disclosed this when Unity Schools Old Students’ Association (USOSA), led by its President-General,  Muhammadu Kabiru Nuhu-Koko and other members of the association paid a courtesy visit to him at the National Assembly complex,  Abuja, said that welfare of military men operating in the trouble zone should be taken more seriously.

According to him, “a situation whereby we appropriate funds for our men to be well taken care of, to be well kitted and for them to have the best of arms and somebody somewhere is playing politics or is not implementing and applying those funds judiciously is not acceptable and we are ready to take on whoever is involved in that.

“Very soon, by the time we come back, we are going to have some motions that are talking about welfare of our men on the field. We have received several complaints from soldiers that they are not getting what is due to them on the field. How do you take someone that is less motivated to the battlefield? I believe that we need to move and I believe that those responsible should be responsible enough to cater for these troops,” he stated.

Honourable Tambuwal, who hinted the visitors on why the House held a special session on Tuesday in honour of about 59 students of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State,  who were killed by suspected Boko Haram members, said that “we had to do what we did on Tuesday because we interact seriously with our constituents and we have been having feelers and feelings of our people on what has been happening in the North-East and other parts of the country that are prone to some measure of criminality.”

To this end, he added,  “as leaders, we must be concerned about the feelings of our people. That is why the leadership of the House agreed to hold that special session (on Tuesday) to mourn as a mark of respect and to draw attention to the urgent need that all of us stakeholders and Nigerians must come together and support the government in ensuring that we bring an end to this wanton killing and destruction of life and properties.”

According to him, ‘‘we are committed to that. We shall give government every support. And we have taken extra steps to support the government, to support the people that are being affected by this crisis. We are amenable. We are available we are ready to do every thing possible to bring this (Boko Haram insurgency) to an end.

“However, the legislature has its limitations. We cannot commandeer troops. We can only pass resolutions. We can only appropriate funds. Of course, we can perform oversight, but we have our limitation in following appropriated funds. That is why I said in my speech (during the special session) that even as parliamentarians, we may have to find new ways of improved oversight so that we ensure that what is meant for the welfare of our soldiers who have surrendered their lives to this country should be improved,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the association commended  Honourable Tambuwal for condemning the killings of the students in Yobe and emphasised the need to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency head on.

‘Stop attack on security forces’ morale’
The Joint Security Information     Committee on Security Developments has warned the political elite against attack on the morale of the Nigerian security forces engaged in the fight against terrorism.

At a press briefing by the committee on Thursday, the Director, Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said, “they make frivolous and unfounded claims and allegations on welfare of soldiers under the pretext of being more caring for the welfare and condition of Nigerian soldiers but their intention is to encourage indiscipline and ultimately mutiny.”

He noted that “this set of Nigerians has taken up every available media platform to disparage efforts of the leadership of Nigerian Armed Forces in the fight against terror. Indeed, the tendency is propelled by nothing altruistic other than to curry undue political capital out of the unfortunate crisis in the north east.

“They have not only accused the military and security authorities of denying the soldiers and other security personnel of their entitlements, they have been spreading the sick rumour that the gallant Nigerian soldiers are grumbling over inadequate resources and lack of motivation to take on the insurgents. These unfounded allegations and outright rumour mongering are, to say the least, callous, mischievous and inimical to the wellbeing of our national security.’’

Describing it as “false claims which are intended not only to ridicule the efforts and integrity of the security forces but to weaken their morale and destroy their cohesiveness, our gallant personnel are determined more than ever before to bring terrorism to an end in our country.’’

The committee reassured that the military and security agencies would not be deterred from the commitment to defend and protect the country from any form of insecurity or aggression and the dividends of these efforts would be incontrovertible.
  On the crisis in Benue State, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, announced that the IGP, MD Abubakar, had deployed additional anti-riot policemen and logistics, under the leadership of DIG Operations, Mike Zuokuwor, to Benue to bring the crisis to an end.

He said that the DIG was being accompanied by the CP Mobile Police Force, Hosea Karma and CP Counter Terrorism, Tonye Nwakama.

According to him, the DIG was coordinating the operation, while the police were also carrying aerial patrol to locate the hideout of those of those carrying out the mayhem.

Mba said that the Federal Government was working hard through the instrumentality of the security agencies to bring the situation in Benue State to normal.

He assured all Nigerians that the security agencies were doing everything possible to restore peace and normalcy in that area.

Also speaking, the army spokesman, Brigadier General O. Laleye, said that what was happening in Benue was criminal.
According to him, those perpetrating the heinous crimes were even carrying AK47 rifles of which they were not licensed to carry arms.

FG stops conduct of Immigration recruitment exams in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa
THE Federal Government has said that the aptitude test for recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service billed for Saturday, March 15, nationwide will not hold in volatile northern states.

The states are: Borno, Yobe and Adamawa that have been hotbed of Boko Haram violent attacks.  

Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, said every necessary arrangement had been put in place for a hitch-free exercise.

The Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prison Service Board that is handling the recruitment exercise earlier in a statement made available to journalists  by the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister, Mr. Edwin Opara, announced the date for the examination.

The statement said the recruitment examination for applicants who submitted online applications had been scheduled to hold on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 7am in all the state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The statement further noted that due to the State of Emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, alternative arrangements had been made for candidates from those states to take their examination in other states.

The statement specifically urged candidates from Borno State to go to Gombe, Gombe State for examination while Yobe candidates should go to Bauchi, Bauchi State and Adamawa to Jalingo, Taraba State respectively.

“Candidates are expected to take the examination in their preferred states as earlier indicated using the application number as their examination number. Candidates are required to come along with their acknowledgement slip and clothing for physical exercise.

“Candidates are advised to log on to the website at http://recruitment.cdfipb.gov.ng for full details on the exercise and contact state commands of Nigeria Immigration Service,” the statement added.

But the Minister, who said he needed to have clarified air on some misgivings about the recruitment exercise said the Ministry of Interior has never asked any applicant to go back to his or her state of origin for the examination as being peddled in some quarters.

Moro, said it was not the instruction of the Ministry of Interior, that every body should go to his or her state of origin to write this examination, saying “this would negate even our initial decision to go online to conduct this exercise to avoid the risk of long transportation and travels, to avoid the risk of spending too much on enlistment into the service”.

He warned all applicants to be aware that they will only be admitted in centres that they have chosen to write the examination in the first place and that adequate arrangement has been made for security and effective conduct of the aptitude test.

He insisted that the examination is fixed within the period in which procurement could take place and advised candidates to strictly abide by the instructions.     

 He said: “This has become necessary because indications have shown that there are some level of distortion and misinformation that is going on the social media.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we started this process some months back and having literally overcome some of the initial obstacles, the aptitude test for the enlistment of officers into the Nigerian Immigration Service will take place on Saturday in various centres across the country.

People in their initial application have chosen centres that they prefer to write the examination. These are the centres where they will be taking the aptitude test.

“They will present their relevant attestation to show their application and fulfilment of various requirement for the test and they will be admitted to sit for the test in their various centres of choice,” Moro said.