The nigerian army he said on Thursday that he would deploy no fewer than 173 soldiers for a peacekeeping mission in Guinea Bissau.
The Chief of Operations, Army Headquarters; Oluwafemi Akinjobi, a major general, stated this at the Nigerian contingent’s pre-deployment training graduation for ECOWAS mission in Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB) held at the Martin Luther Agwai International Peacekeeping and Leadership Center in Jaji, Kaduna state.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the 173 troops to be deployed consist of 163 soldiers and 10 officers.
Represented by Zakari Abubakar, Major General and Director of Army Peacekeeping Operations Headquarters, Mr. Akinjobi noted that Nigeria remains the beacon of peace and the guardian of the ECOWAS sub-region.
He maintained that the Nigerian peacekeepers had helped restore peace in many conflict areas around the world, earning them much national and individual praise from various missions.
He explained that the nation continued to ensure security and stability in Africa through collective security by contributing to international peace and security, which remain essential to Nigeria’s defense policy.
He said that the Nigerian Army remained committed to maintaining world peace and security and accused the troops of abhorring all acts that would discredit the enviable standards that Nigeria had set in different peacekeeping operations.
He thanked the Army Chief of Staff for his tireless support and strategic guidance of the center and the Nigerian Army.
“I congratulate you on completing your pre-deployment training and wish you all a successful tour of duty, I look forward to your safe return.
Earlier, Center Commander Auwal Fagge, a Major General, said pre-deployment training was aimed at equipping the assigned unit with the necessary skills and knowledge to function effectively and efficiently during their deployment to Guinea Bissau. .
He noted that the graduation was a pre-deployment training aimed at the center as a United Nations-accredited center to train quality peacekeepers for deployment in multidimensional peace support operations in fulfillment of its mandate.
Mr. Fagge charged the troops to carry out their duties, taking into account the multinational, cultural and religious diversities of the operating environment, which underscored the need for courtesy and respect.
He said that Nigeria had committed both human and material resources to bring about peace in the subregion, as demonstrated in Liberia.
(YAYA)