NEWS, NIGERIA
In keeping with its pledge to the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) last year, Nigeria will this week deploy troops to
war-torn Mali.
President Goodluck Jonathan unfolded the Federal Government’s plan to
deploy the troops Monday when he hosted diplomats to a cocktail at the
State House, Abuja.
According to the president, who prior to the cocktail for the diplomats
had a day-long meeting with service chiefs, the Inspector General of
Police and the National Security Adviser (NSA), said it had become
necessary to send the Nigerian contingent in order to help restore peace
to the country.
He said: “We are confronted presently with a situation in Mali, let me
assure you and the global community that as a nation, we will work with
other nations to make sure that the problem in Mali is solved.
“Already our technical team is already in Mali so definitely the Nigerian troops will be in Mali before next week.
“Of course, we members of ECOWAS are meeting this weekend. Our
expectation is that by next week most ECOWAS countries that pledged
troops would have sent them so that our men will be on the ground to
assist to liberate the country.
“We can no longer surrender any part of the globe to extremism, because
it doesn’t pay and we don’t know the next victim. We must collectively
discourage individuals or group of individuals that will take laws into
their hands and make the world a place that is not safe for all of us.”
The president informed the diplomats that he was aware that building a
strong economy will lead to a stronger country and remained committed to
doing just that.
“I’m not one to diminish the challenges my country faces and that is
why we are strengthening democratic institutions. We have our challenges
but we will continue to play our international role to restore peace”,
he said.
Responding, the Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of
the Democratic Republic of Congo to Nigeria, Mrs. Olumba Kumba, gave
kudos to Nigeria for its role in helping to restore peace wherever there
is conflict across the globe.
In another development, security has been beefed up in Abuja ahead of
the commemoration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Wednesday.
The heavy presence of security was noticed around the Three Arms Zone,
where the president and other dignitaries are expected to lay wreaths at
the symbolic tomb of the fallen heroes to mark the day.
The tight security around the area follows the security scare occasioned by the spate of violence and security breaches in the last few years.
The tight security around the area follows the security scare occasioned by the spate of violence and security breaches in the last few years.
Two years ago, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta
(MEND) had detonated a bomb at the Eagle Square venue of the
Independence celebration that year.
The Eagle Square is a few metres away from where today’s Armed Forces Day celebration is being held.
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