Skip to main content

We’ve resolved our problems with UNICEF – Nigerian Army

                                
Days after it accused the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) of aiding terrorism in the North-east, the Nigerian Army says it has resolved its differences with the UN agency.
The army chief, Tukur Buratai, a lieutenant general, stated this on Saturday in Maiduguri.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the army on December 14 announced that it was suspending UNICEF operations in the North-east following the accusations it made. The army did not provide any evidence for the accusations and did not state if it had presidential approval for its action. Hours later, the army announced it reversed the suspension after a meeting with UNICEF officials.
UNICEF is one of the international organisations operating in the North-eastern part of Nigeria to asssit victims of the Boko Haram insurgency.
On Saturday, Mr Buratai said the army would collaborate with United Nations agencies and other organisations to address the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.
He gave the commitment at a dinner and media interactive session organised for editors and defence correspondents in Maiduguri.
He declared that: “I assure you that no love is lost between the UNICEF, the Nigerian Military and in particular the Nigerian Army.
“Indeed, in this operation, we will continue to cooperate with them to ensure that we carry out the necessary humanitarian aid and support for the agencies to carry out their responsibilities.
“What transpired is something that could not have happened but at times you have to take necessary steps knowing that the right result would be achieved.
“These are times not within the normal situations, these are times where some many lives were lost.
“This is a time when so many trying activities are taking place, and such times have led to (the) frustration of our efforts in various operations in the northeast.
“It is important to note that whatever we are doing, we are conscious of our international obligations as well as the need to safeguard national security.
“I am sure that the international organizations will not subscribe or allow any actions or inaction’s of certain individuals or groups to jeopardise the national security of the country they operate and this is quite fundamental.
“We understand the challenges and I am happy that the issue has been resolved, the UNICEF and other organisations were not prevented from carrying out their legitimate duties”.
Mr Buratai expressed the hope that the incident would not repeat itself, adding that the Nigerian Army had been participating in immunization and other humanitarian activities in the northeast.
According to him, the army is working in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and other organisations on routine immunization in the northeast.
The army chief noted that the troops had been at the vanguard of providing support to the organizations in hard-to-reach areas, to enable them to conduct their services.
“The Nigerian Army has been at the forefront where the humanitarian organisations could not reach.
“Our troops, apart from fighting the Boko Haram terrorists, are also carrying out immunization of children in the northeast,” he added.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Photos, Three killed in Osun bank robbery attack

Dare devil armed robbers today attacked a new generation commercial bank in Ila-Orangun, Osun state killing three persons, including police security.                                              The suspected armed robbers, numbering about eight, were said to have stormed the bank at about 2pm and operated for one- and- a half hours after blasting the bank’s security door with an explosive substance. A substantial amount of money was carted away from the bank.  Two other victims killed by the armed robbers were said to be hit by stray bullets while a number of people sustained various degrees of injury while trying to flee the scene. Eyewitness said police officers arrived the scene almost immediately and engaged the robbers in a fierce gun battle. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Catalan Pro-Independence Group Blocks Roads To Protest Ex-Leader’s Arrest

Protesters wave Spanish and Catalan Senyera flags during a pro-unity demonstration in Barcelona on October 29, 2017. Pro-unity protesters were to gather in Catalonia’s capital Barcelona, two days after lawmakers voted to split the wealthy region from Spain, plunging the country into an unprecedented political crisis. / AFP PHOTO / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOUPIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images The Committee for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), a Catalan pro-independence group, blocked several roads on Tuesday to protest the arrest of former leader, Carles Puigdemont. Traffic was halted on several motorways and highways and on the Diagonal, one of the main avenues of Barcelona. People held banners calling for “freedom’’ for “political prisoners.’’ Apart from Puigdemont, several Catalan secessionist figures are in pre-trial detention in Spain, including his ex-deputy Oriol Junqueras and a new candidate for the Catalan presidency, Jordi Turull. The CDR also called a “general st...
Post a Comment
Read more

136 new cases of Coronavirus recorded in Nigeria

  136 new cases of Coronavirus were recorded in Nigeria on Saturday September 26, as confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).    A breakdown of the new cases across states is as follows; Lagos-41, Ogun-27, Rivers-19, Abia-10, Oyo-6, Plateau-6, Bauchi-5, Ondo-5, Ekiti-4, Kaduna-4, Edo-3, Ebonyi-2, Bayelsa-1, Delta-1, Osun-1, Yobe-1.    There are now 58,198 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the country and 1,106 deaths have been recorded. 49,722 patients who recovered from the disease have also been discharged.     
Post a Comment
Read more