North-East: Presidential Committee seeks Army’s cooperation to discharge duties

The Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative has solicited the cooperation of the Nigerian Army to enable it to carry out its duty in the region.
The Vice Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Tijjani Tumsah, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja when he led the Sub-Committee on Security of the initiative on a courtesy call to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.
The committee was set up by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2016 to address the humanitarian needs in the North-East, as well as reconstruct the area.
Tumsah stressed that for the committee to address the humanitarian needs of the people of the region, as well as reconstruct the area, it would need cooperation of the army.
According to him, the PCNI cannot do anything in the area in the aftermath of the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists without clearance from the army.
Tumsah congratulated the army and the entire military for the successes so far recorded in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents, especially for their ability to dislodge the terrorists from the Sambisa forest.
Responding, Buratai assured the committee of the support of the army, noting that the PCNI had been discharging its functions “very well’’.
He also assured that the army through its various corps, including engineering, medical and education would collaborate with the committee in providing the needs of people returning to their communities after the war.
The chief of army staff urged the committee to focus on communities to which people were returning to support them to live their normal lives again.
Buratai, however, noted that although the Boko Haram insurgency was already becoming history, there was need for members of the public to be on the alert.
He said that this was necessary as the terrorists were fleeing to all areas across the nation, apart from the North-East.