As part of efforts to cater to the welfare of troops, the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has launched welfare flight for troops of Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, OPHK.
The COAS, during the flag-off ceremony, which was performed yesterday, 9 August, at the Nigerian Air Force Base, in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, intimated that the welfare flight is to boost the morale of troops and ease travel for those proceeding on pass to and from the theatre of operations to other parts of the country.
TheFact Nigeria notes that the initiative is in line with one of the Army Chief’s cardinal focuses, which is the welfare of troops, and is birthed to address problems such as distance and other associated challenges, while proceeding on pass to see their families and loved ones.
Yahaya intimated that the ongoing joint operations in the Theatre has further strengthened the synergy between the services and other security agencies, which informed the decision of Chief of the Air Staff to provide the Nigerian Air Force Charlie-130 aircraft to lift troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), personnel of other security agencies, as well as civilian staff of the AFN from Maiduguri to other parts of the country.
According to the COAS, the flights will be operated twice a month to meet the the 2 weeks duration of leave passes in the theatre, and added that personnel leaving on pass will be granted two weeks.
The Army Chief further disclosed that he had directed strict adherence to security measures, an as such, troops will be thoroughly searched, cleared and documented before boarding the flight.
He therefore urged all troops to utilize the opportunity to promote synergy amongst all the services and security agencies in the theatre, in order to achieve success in ongoing and future operations.
Yahaya expressed appreciation to the President Muhammadu Buhari for his guidance and direction, as well as the confidence reposed in the AFN, while plegding his unalloyed loyalty and commitment to defending the constitution of the country.
He also extended his appreciation to the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Chief of the Naval Staff, CNS, Rear Admiral Auwal Zubairu Gambo, Chief of the Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, and the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Alkali Baba, for their support and collaboration.
Speaking earlier on the schedules of flight, the Chief of Operations (Army), Major General Olufemi Akinjobi, said the welfare flight has been scheduled to cover 3 main hubs: Lagos, Abuja and Maiduguri. Troops from Lagos will be housed and managed at the Ikeja Cantonment, while those in Abuja will be at the Nigerian Army Forward Operational Base. Those in Maiduguri will be at the Headquarters, Theatre Command.
