As part of activities marking the end of Operation Crocodile Smile 111, the 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army has donated equipment to the General Hospital, Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the equipment: hospital beds, mattresses, rolling chair, cylinders with oxygen and consumables among others.
Presenting the equipment to the management of the hospital in Ikot Abasi on Thursday, the Commander, 2 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Abdu Hassan said the action was to give back to the community.
Hassan said that Operation crocodile smile 111 was to reach out to the host community to ensure the success of the exercise.
The commander said since the Operation was officially launched in 2016, it had been able to flush out criminals and other bad elements operating within the Niger Delta region.
He said that the military would continue to collaborate with the civil society in the discharge of their constitutional duties, noting that the collaboration been a huge success.
He said: “As part of activities marking the end of Operation Crocodile Smile 2018, and as part of our civil military responsibility, we deem it fit to come here so that we can give back to this community.
“The need for us to collaborate with our host community cannot be overemphasised.
“We have chosen Ikot Abasi because we have been operating here for the past three weeks, having been around this community, we realised that this hospital lacks some equipment.
“So we decided to donate some of this equipment to this hospital as part of our civil-military relationship.”
In his remarks, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom Hospital Management Board, Dr David Umoh, said that the action of the military had endeared them to the people.
Umoh commended the military, adding that programme like that would cement military-civil relationship across communities of operations.
According to him, the more the people and communities connect and provide information to the military on crimes and criminal elements, the better for the society.
He said: “On behalf of the government of Akwa Ibom, I want to welcome you to the sunny beautiful city of Ikot Abasi.
“I want to thank the military, one more time, because if they did not think it through, we will not be here today.
“I want to assure you that on our own part, we shall put this equipment to use for the interest of all our patients. Thank you very much for the donation.”
The Village Head Ikot Obong in Ikot Abasi, Chief Obong Etukeren, on behalf of his people, also thanked the Army for remembering the community.
He said: “The equipment is going to affect the community positively and we are very happy about it.
“We are very grateful to the Nigerian Army for what they donated to this hospital for the benefit of this community.”
