President Muhammadu Buhari has on Tuesday unveiled additional Made-In-Nigeria Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (Ezugwu MRAP) for the Nigerian Army, assuring Nigerians of his commitment to fighting insecurity.
President Buhari unveiled the vehicles during the opening ceremony of the 2019 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Kaduna, commending the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON)for producing the vehicles.
“I note the collaborative efforts of the Command Engineering Depot with relevant indigenous organisations to promote local content towards developing our military-industrial complex,” the president said in a statement issued by the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
“I am glad that the production of Ezugwu MRAP vehicles, which I will be unveiling today (Tuesday), will join the infantry patrol vehicles that were earlier produced as a testimony that our efforts are yielding positive results.”
“Additionally, your efforts in terms of capacity building, training and conduct of exercises are quite commendable.”
“I am aware that there are ongoing field exercises such as Atilogwu, UDO 1, Exercise Akpatuma 2 and Exercise Crocodile Smile 4, among other civil-military cooperation activities.”
“These are impressive efforts geared at enhancing the operational efficiency of the army as well as facilitating a conducive security environment for social and economic activities to thrive,” Buhari added.
While commending the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tuukur Buratai, The president said, “He has keyed into the Federal Government’s Change Agenda and I particularly commend his thrust in the critical areas such as innovative and inventive approach to produce military hardware, infrastructural development, restructuring and reorganisations, among others, with significant results particularly in the ongoing counterinsurgency operations and other operations across the country
Also speaking, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (Rtd.) lauded the president’s continuous support in the fight against insurgency.
He said, “The Nigerian Army has had a hectic year with a lot of operations conducted to secure the territorial integrity of Nigeria. There is a need for a review of activities during this annual conference to prepare for next year’s final onslaught on Boko Haram.”
