By, AMOS MATHEW, Kaduna
In an effort to put a smile on the faces of Kaduna residents, the Nigerian Army has distributed palliatives such as food items and fertiliser to 1,000 residents in two communities in the State, to mark the 2020 Army Day Celebration.
The communities that benefitted from the kind gestures are Rigachikun and Kankomi communities in Igabi and Chikun Local Government Areas of the state, respectively.
In his address, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.- Gen Tukur Buratai, said that the gesture was to ameliorate the hardship being faced by less privileged people with a view to enhancing civil-military relations for effective service delivery.
Gen Buratai added that “the Army has the responsibility of reaching out to the populace, to whom it provides security, and one of such ways is the distribution of items to the less privileged people in the society,”.
Buratai who was represented by Garrison Commander, 1 Division Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen Olusegun Abai, said it is a gesture that will continue to take place.
Buratai stressed that the Army would continue to discharge its constitutional responsibilities in securing the territorial integrity of Nigeria and assisting civil authority in providing internal security.
He called on the civil populace to support security agencies with useful information that would help to degrade criminals and ensure peace and stability in the country.
Receiving the items on behalf of the beneficiaries, the District Head of Rigachikun, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Sani expressed gratitude to the Army for the gesture.
He said that the items would greatly assist the beneficiaries to overcome some of the hardship been faced.
According to some of the beneficiaries in Kankomi, the presence of troops in the locality had greatly improved the security situation in the area and boosted farming activities.
They also expressed delight to the Army for reaching out to them in their hours of need.
This year’s Army Day Celebration is holding in Katsina State and has as its theme: Nigeria’s Territorial Defence And Sovereignty: Imperatives for Nigerian Army sustained Training And Operations.
