There is a strong indication that the military authorities will compensate the families of soldiers attached to the Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, that were killed in pirate attacks recently.
Commander, JTF, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, gave the hint on Wednesday during the inauguration of building for soldiers at 343 Artillery Regiment, Elele, Rivers State.
Atewe, who observed a minute’s silence with top military officers and soldiers present on the occasion, said the JTF had concluded plans to visit the families of the deceased soldiers.
“We have concluded plans to visit the bereaved families of our soldiers that were killed a few months ago during operations,” he said.
No fewer than six soldiers attached to the security outfit were murdered in Bayelsa State in December 2014.
Gunmen suspected to be sea pirates attacked and murdered the six soldiers attached to the JTF on the waterways of Bayelsa in two separate incidents at Santa Barbara river, Nembe and in Azagbene river of Ekeremor.
On the renovated building, Atewe advised the beneficiaries to keep it clean so that they would not incur the wrath of the authorities.
He also urged those who had the ability to farm to make use of the large expanse of land at the back of the building to carry out farming activities.
He commended the 2 Brigade Commander, Brig.-Gen. Idowu Uzamere, for his diligence and quick completion of the project.
“This is the second time I am coming to commission projects. I commend you and request the young officers to emulate your exemplary leadership. I am happy the building is standing. To those who worked with the commander to bring down the cost of the renovation, God will reward all of you,” he said.
However, he encouraged an Army engineer with a token amount of money for wiring the whole building N1.1m less the amount charged by contractors.
He also promised that some buildings that needed renovation would be looked into, saying when soldiers operate in a conducive environment, it would boost their productivity and morale.
In his remarks, Uzamere lauded the JTF commander for his assistance towards making the renovation a reality.
He said, “Sometime last year (2014), I realized my activities had been concentrated in Port Harcourt Barracks, Rivers State. I recalled I am Commander 2 Brigade, Elele, Akwa Ibom and Bonny. I took a tour and saw this building. We looked inward and decided to provide accommodation for our soldiers. I took the matter to the Commander JTF who helped.
“The commander promised us huge amount of money and in 24 hours, he brought the money. I met one contractor, who brought the project down by about N3.5m to accommodate 30 families.
“The wiring of the building was done by a corporal. Through his ingenuity, the cost of the wiring was reduced from N2m to N900,000.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com