Army chief, Lt.-Gen. Buratai, applauds Operation Lafiya Dole commander for fabricating armoured fighting equipment

Lt.Gen. Buratai

By Dauda R. Pam, Maiduguri

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has applauded the outgoing Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major-General Olusegun Gabriel Adeniyi, for fabricating 7 locally made equipments to re strengthen the war chest of troops of the Nigerian Army.
An elated COAS described the research, development and evolution of the home grown technology in military equipment production as a great feat in championing the production of conqueror equipment variants.
The COAS who was represented by the theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. Adeniyi, Wednesday, at the commissioning ceremony of the equipments improvised for the troops to fight Boko Haram insurgents in the Sambisa Forest.
According to him, the theater command has also undertaken the conversion of gun trucks and tractors to armoured Gun Truck and that Fire Eaters with armoured Plating were also made by the Command to provide local protection for troops while in harbour and in defensive positions.
Lt-Gen. Buratai noted with delight, that the whole materials for the platforms were sourced from within the theater command except for the bullet-resistant glasses which were obtained from Kaduna and already in use, emphasized that “the efforts and sacrifices of the Theater Commander and officers of the theater represents the very good walking steps that can take us to the desired flight tomorrow.”

He said “It is pertinent to note that in the light of these efforts, Operation Lafiya Dole provides significant prospects for Nigeria post war military technological advancement if these efforts can be harnessed and improved upon.

“I hereby commend the Theater Commander, officers and soldiers of operation Lafiya Dole for this novel effort.  Be rest assured that Army Headquarters will do all it can to encourage and support further research and production of these platforms,” Buratai said.
He used the occasion to reminded them of the mandate of operation Lafiya Dole which is “to defeat Insurgents in the north east and restore law and order in the region” is a task that must be done.
Also, the Chief of Staff to the Theater Command, Brig-Gen. M. I. Abdullahi, noted that the process started with a research and development where initiatives were developed using local materials for the production.
He appreciated the role played by the Theater Commander, Maj.-Gen. Adeniyi in coordinating and ensuring that the platforms were produced by the team of military engineers while urging the method to be sustained.
The Mechanical Engineer behind the production, Brig-Gen. B. I. Alaya, thanked the Theater Commander for his support and encouragement.
He also briefly explained the technical and mechanical composition of the locally made armoured vehicles produced mainly for the troops to fight Boko Haram Insurgents in the bushes and forest.