Ihejirika calls for apt repairs of air Defence Guns

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika, has called for apt repairs and maintenance of military equipment so as to boost and transform the Nigerian Army into a force that would meet the contemporary challenges of defending the country.
Ihejirika made this call over the weekend at the Kachia military shooting range near Minna.
According to him: “It is apt for 31 Artillery Brigade to have undertaken the repairs of the air defence guns in its inventory in order to boost one division air capability.”
While commending the Headquarters of the Nigeria Army Corps of Artillery, Kotangora for providing technical support to the Brigade for the repairs, Ihejirika said: “I am satisfied with the workings of the equipments and the training of Officers and Men of the Nigerian Army.”
The COAS, who was represented by the Director of Policy and Planning, Major General Emmanuel Bassey, said he was optimistic that the Nigerian Army would meet the contemporary challenges of defending Nigeria.
Also, the Commander, 31 Artillery Brigade, Minna, Niger State, Brigadier General Chris Ilouga, told our correspondent on Sunday in Minna that the repaired guns can now fire consistently without missing targets.
Ilouga said: “The essence is to reposition NACA for the performance of its primary and secondary roles in combating emerging security challenges.
“The changing nature of contemporary threats facing the Nigerian Army and the degradation of NACA’s capacity over time and due to guns and equipment attrition made it necessary for NACA to rebuild its capacity for mission accomplishment.
“The team worked independently due to their technical knowhow and they were closely supervised by the Commanding Officer.
“The desire of the Nigerian Army to respond to contemporary security challenges was what motivated the Headquarters of the 31 Artillery Brigade into raising her air defence capability through the repair of its unserviceable 35mm AD Guns.”
It should be recalled that over the weekend, NACA locally fabricated spare parts to refurbish unserviceable 35 millimetre anti-aircraft guns, which were imported into Nigeria in 1979 from Switzerland.