The Nigerian Army in an on-going Civil-Media-Military Relations Summit in 82 Division Enugu has informed the media of their readiness to commence the “Atilogwu Udo 1” from November 1, 2019 in the south east geopolitical zone.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Burutai in his Opening remarks said; “This summit is being held today in line with my desire to keep the public well informed about the activities of the Nigerian Army (NA) and above all, to fashion out better means of galvanizing media and indeed public awareness, support and appreciation of NA’s activities, exercises and operations that are being routinely conducted in our dear country especially in the South East Zone.
Represented by the Chief of trainings and Operations, Maj. Gen. Enobong O. Udoh, the COAS went on to say that; “The Summit is also intended to serve as a means of improving civil-military-relations and further enriching the knowledge and understanding of Army Public Relations officers, members of the press and all other participants particularly as it relates to the theme of the Summit, which is ‘Galvanizing Citizens’ Support for Military Operations in Nigeria through the Media’.
“It is my hope that the media will continue to properly inform and educate the public on issues of National security interest without biases, devoid of parochial interests, subjectivity and sensationalism and in particular as it relates to our routine Exercises, namely; Exercise ATILOGWU UDO 1, Exercise AYEM AKPATUMA II and Exercise CROCODILEE SMILE IV which are currently going on simultaneously in all the states of North Central, North West, South South and South West Geopolitical zones.
“As already enunciated in our Press Release, the Exercises are part of the routine activities scheduled in the Nigerian Army Forecast of Events 2019 for this particular period of the year. Although these Exercises are primarily meant to sharpen the capacities of our officers and soldiers in order to boost their operational efficiency, the period for their conduct is carefully chosen to coincide with the yuletide season when there is usually an upsurge in acts of criminality such kidnapping, hostage taking for ransom, armed robbery, sea piracy/robbery, etc.
“The perpetrators of these acts of criminality during the Exercise period therefore offer themselves as fleeting opportunities for the Exercise troops to deal with the perpetrators in real time. Meanwhile, the Exercises equally offer the opportunity for the NA to get closer to the people through the conduct of several outreaches in order to win the hearts and minds of our host communities in order to relate better with them.
He also thanked the Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for attending the event; “I wish to thank the Special Guest of Honour, The Executive Governor of Enugu State, Rt Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for honouring us with his presence.”
In his remark earlier in the event, the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Brigadier General Lasisi Adegboye said ‘Atilogwu Udo’ isn’t targeted at anyone or group of persons but basically, a drill aimed at ensuring peace and security in the zone which is a result of his earlier discussion with traditional rulers in the zone.
“It is pertinent to draw your attention to my discussion with the traditional rulers when I had a meeting with them last week. I drew their attention to the prevailing security challenges in this region which includes kidnappings, abductions, communal clashes, armed robbery and other forms of criminality. It is therefore noteworthy to state that EXERCISE ATILOGWU UDO 1 seeks to contain these security challenges and emplace adequate security measures to curb the activities of the criminal elements during the yuletide.
“This is to guarantee public safety, continuity in socio-economic activities and foster harmonious and peaceful co-existence amongst the peace loving people of the South Eastern States. To this end, the NA has trained and will practice its personnel at all levels on ways to combat the aforementioned security challenges bedeviling the South East area in conjunction and close co-operation with sister security agencies.
General Adegboye also said the military will be setting up Super camps in line with best global practices and the aim of the camps is to ensure the military has their presence in all the nooks and crannies of the South East.
“In line with global best practices, the NA is establishing Main Operating Bases (MOBs) which have been rightly designated as Nigerian Army Super Camps (NASCs).
“The SC concept provides for the concentration of more potent and formidable application of force against adversaries, insurgents, terrorist and criminals, whose activities have become veritable threats to national security. The aim is for these forces to be projected into hideouts, enclaves, crossing points and routes of these undesirable elements.
“It is therefore apt, at this juncture to mention that this year’s Nigerian Army exercise tagged EX ATILOGWU UDO 1 is premised on the concept of the NASC to ensure the troops dominate all the nooks and crannies of the south eastern states.”
He went on to say that the army will use the opportunity of the exercise to interact with the public and carry out so many humanitarian activities.
“Ex ATILOGWU UDO 1 which means “Peaceful Dance” is primarily focused towards Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities. These array of activities are outlined in order to foster good relationship between the Army and the communities where these operations are taking place.
“Such CIMIC activities include sanitation exercises, clearing of drainages in flood prone areas and the conduct of medical outreaches in different areas of the participating states. Others include educational support to schools and the rehabilitation of dilapidated orphanages amongst others.”
The event have in attendance, traditional rulers including the Chairman of Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, Amb. Igwe Agubuzo, Veteran actors like Pete Edochie, Chika Okpala, people from the academia and journalists.
