Zulum congratulates new COAS, says choice reaffirms Buhari’s consistency on Northeast

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has congratulated the new Chief of Army Staff, Major General Farouk Yahaya.

The new COAS, assumed office on Friday, following his appointment on Thursday.

Zulum, in a statement by his spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau on Sunday, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of a serving Theatre Commander of “Operation Hadin Kai” headquartered in Borno State, once again, reflects Buhari’s consistency of making the insurgency affecting the northeast, as the priority of his Presidency.

He said: “With the appointment of General Yahaya, the country has retained the advantage of having in place, service chiefs who have all served in Borno and have sufficient operational knowledge in the fight against Boko Haram and ISWAP.”

The Governor said: “While warmly congratulating the new Chief of Army Staff, I will like to gladly acknowledge that Mr. President’s choice of Major General Farouk Yahaya, who was in Maiduguri as Theatre Commander of the joint armed forces battle against insurgents, was a deliberate reaffirmation of Mr. President’s consistency of placing the insurgency facing the northeast, as the top most priority of the Presidency, because addressing the insurgency in the Northeast has the potential of stabilizing the Nation in general.

“It is worth recollecting, that both the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and current Chief of Defence Staff, General LEO Irabor, were appointed based on their experiences of haven served as Theatre Commanders in Borno, leading operations against insurgents.

“Similarly, the current Chief of Air Staff, had also served as Deputy Theatre Commander in Borno, while the Chief of Naval Staff had also served in Borno, with insight on counter insurgency operations.”

He said it was clear that Mr. President is focused on the northeast, given the fact that the insurgency challenge has lingered for 12 years now and had resulted in countless deaths, displacements of citizens and destructions of communities.

Zulum said he was optimistic that with their experiences and knowledge of the insurgency in the northeast, the Service Chiefs alongside other heads of security establishments at the national and geo-political levels, will combine efforts to end the insurgency as soon as it can happen.

He urged the people of Borno to remain prayerful and supportive of the military and other security establishments, promising to remain relentless in supporting the military, other security establishments and volunteers in the collective and unbending commitment to finding enduring peace in Borno and by extension, the northeast and rest of Nigeria.