Terrorism: Military’s loyalty not in doubt – Jonathan

Commending the military’s courage and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, the president reiterated his administration’s commitment to their welfare and the families of the fallen heroes.“We salute and appreciate the courage and sacrifices of men and women of our armed forces in grappling with the wave of terrorism in some parts of our dear […]

Commending the military’s courage and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, the president reiterated his administration’s commitment to their welfare and the families of the fallen heroes.
“We salute and appreciate the courage and sacrifices of men and women of our armed forces in grappling with the wave of terrorism in some parts of our dear country. They have displayed unalloyed loyalty and commitment to Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, in their demanding taaask to keep Nigeria one and united, some aof the country’s gallant officers and men have lost their lives stressing that to these officers and men; “we pay tribute and pray fervently for the repose of their souls.”
Jonathan, who said he had directed the minister of defence to initiate programmes that would improve the living standard of the military, recalled that the government recently increased their pension allowances.
He lauded the Nigerian Legion for introducing the Nigerian Legion Humanitarian Day as part of activities marking the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration, and state governors for patronising the Legion.
The President promised to recover the outstanding N75m pledges made to the Nigerian Legion last year.
National chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Micah Gayyah, had disclosed that of the N105 million donation pledged last year, only N30m had been redeemed.
Jonathan therefore directed his Chief of Staff, Jones Arogbofa, to get him the list of defaulters, saying his (President’s) office was to blame for not contacting those who made the pledges.
He also directed all his ministers and aides as well as State House visitors to wear the Armed Forces remembrance emblem till January 15 and called on Nigerians to identify with the Armed Forces by procuring and wearing the emblem with pride and donating generously to the appeal fund.
Defence Minister General Aliyu Guasau noted that without the commitment of the Armed Forces, the current security challenges would have been more precarious.
Earlier, Gayyah disclosed that the legion lost over 100 of its members to terrorist attacks in the North-East, with the affected families in need of help.
The Group Managing Director of Energy Group, Jimoh Ibrahim, who was a co-launcher at the event, donated N30 million and pledged 10 vehicles to the Legion.
Meanwhile President Jonathan has assured that the security situation in the north-eastern states will improve before the 2015 general elections.