BEING THE TEXT OF A GOODWILL MESSAGE BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. UDOM EMMANUEL, GOVERNOR, AKWA IBOM STATE ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPERATIONALIZATION CEREMONY OF 6TH DIVISION OF THE NIGERIAN ARMY, PORT-HARCOURT, JULY 13, 2017.
PROTOCOL
1. I am indeed very honoured and pleased to be here today to witness this epoch -making event- the operationalization ceremony of the 6thDivision of the Nigerian Army. Let me on behalf of the Government and the highly appreciative good people of Akwa Ibom State sincerely thank the President and Commander- In -Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari (we wish and pray for his speedy recovery), the Honourable Minister of Defence, the Army Council, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai for establishing this Division in our geo-political zone-the Niger-Delta.
2. I want to specifically thank the Chief of Army Staff for appointing my brother and compatriot- Major General Enobong O. Udoh as the second General Officer Commanding (GOC) the Division, and also for considering the upgrade of operational structure of my dear state from a Battalion at Ibagwa, Abak to a full-fledged Brigade- the 2nd Brigade. We are indeed very grateful and appreciative!
3. I want to thank and commend the Nigerian Army for the professionalism it has displayed, tackling critical security dilemmas and for keeping an eye on the evolving security challenges posed by such non-state actors as the Boko Haram Sect, cyber-terrorism, militancy etc.
4. The formation of this Division which covers the four Niger Delta States of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers with operational Headquarters in Port-Harcourt is a hugely welcome development. As a critical region in the economic calculus of our nation and given the restiveness we have experienced over the years and the efforts of the Federal Government to find lasting solutions to the issues that gave birth to the agitations, the presence of this Division will further help guarantee security for the people of the region and the critical infrastructural assets of the multi-national corporations that operate in this region.
5. I have had the honour of receiving on courtesy visits, both the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Division and the Brigade Commander (BC) of the 2nd Brigade which is located in my State and in both instances; I had declared the readiness of my Government to continue to work in close partnership with the Division and the Brigade respectively. In furtherance of that commitment, I have so far, allocated a land in Uyo for the building of the Brigade Headquarters and also the conversion of the Salvation Army Secondary School, located in Efa, Etinan Local Government Area into a Command Secondary School. I assured the General Officer Commanding (GOC) that we will do all we possibly can to support the Division and the 2ndBrigade in our joint efforts to ensure the security of life and property of our people. I stand here today to reiterate that pledge. Let me again, congratulate and welcome to Akwa Ibom State the Commander, officers and soldiers of the 2nd Brigade. You can count on our support at all times!
6. Thank you for your kind attention and God bless the Nigerian Army, God bless Akwa Ibom State, and God bless Nigeria.
