The Nigerian Army yesterday said apart from the country’s current terrorim challenges, its decision to recruit about 9,000 new hands as recently announced by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, was also informed by the country’s recent election into the Security Council of the United Nations.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Attairu, said this in Abuja, during its monthly briefing to inform the public of the recent happenings within the formation, at the same time provide update on its ongoing war against the Boko Haram sect.
While responding to a question on its planned recruitment of 9,000 soldiers, Attairu explained that although, recruitment in the army was a normal process with or without the country’s security challenges, but that the security issues and Nigeria’s election into the UN Security Council had made it necessary considering the need to inject fresh hands within and outside the country.
“The issue of recruitment is a normal procedure with or without insurgency, there will be recruitment.
“We need to recruit fresh hands because there is always need for recruitment of troops within or outside and also that we have got a seat at the Security Council, there will always be a need for the requirement of the troop from the UN, so, we are preparing for peace and security in Nigeria and anywhere in the world,” Attairu said.
The UN General Assembly last week elected Nigeria and four others to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two-year term beginning from January 1, 2014.
Attairu also denied an alleged misappropriation of allowances meant for the troops of 333 Artillery Regiment that were sent to Mali for peacekeeping operations.
He noted that the report which featured in online news platforms, was untrue and that the publication was aimed at dragging the good reputation of the Nigerian Army into disrepute.
Attairu said: “The attention of the Nigeria Army has been drawn to an online publication titled: “Army bosses steal 320,000 from each of Mali to Borno soldiers,” which appeared in some online media. This publication is aimed at dragging the good reputation of the Nigeria Army into the mud; it is complete misrepresentation of fact with sinister intent.”
He further stated that the write up claimed that the allowances accruing to the soldiers who participated in peace support operations in Mali had been misappropriated by senior army officers and that a few soldiers who had godfathers had been paid their allowances.
“The information contained in the report is a product of gross distortion of facts by a few disgruntled soldiers and some mischievous elements in the media; the approach is less professional as the writer did not deem it fit to recourse to the appropriate headquarters to get their facts rights,” Attairu said while refuting the story.
He explained that troops of 333 Artillery Regiment were rotated from MINUSMA peacekeeping mission in Mali in May 2013 following a call to duty to forestall heightened security situation in the North-east.
He said an attempt to withdraw totally from the mission would have created a void which may need to be filled by other Troops Contributing Countries (TCC) and that as at the time of withdrawal, troops were fully paid subsistence allowances while operational allowances were to be paid to them on their return to disembarkation leave.
Attairu also stated that the Mission Monitoring Team (MMT) of the Army Headquarters had fully debriefed the unit, taking into consideration the outstanding operations allowances accruing to all troops of the unit.
While adding that the troops were briefed as to when the full payment will be made, Attairu noted that for the past 52 years of the army involvement in peace support operations, administrative and logistical bottleneck might delay the release of funds, but the army headquarters has always made effort to fill the void and that troops are kept informed of all developments.
He said it would be recalled that the United Nation said earlier in the month admitted to owing N127.3 billion accrued through its peace keeping efforts to global organisation.
“Few mischievous elements working in tandem with some online media choose through deliberate falsehood to intentionally distort information with a view to causing disaffection within the system, let me categorically state that the fabrication is completely untrue,” he stressed.
Source: Thisday
