BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has praised the implementation of the salary increase for personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He expressed elation that President Bola Tinubu has fulfilled a promise made to the military.
Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District in the Senate, said the salary adjustment demonstrated the administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of troops and strengthening the fight against insecurity.
The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army stated this in a statement on Saturday, where he also commended the Federal Government for efforts aimed at boosting the morale of military personnel.
According to him, the Tinubu administration has continued to support security operations through improved funding, procurement of arms and ammunition, and initiatives designed to enhance the effectiveness of the Armed Forces.
He said, “Making a pronouncement is one thing; redeeming your pledge is a different ball game entirely.
“President Tinubu has shown, times without number, that he keeps to his words. It is heartwarming to note that the salary increment he promised the Nigerian Army has been redeemed.
“I want to urge our officers to redouble their efforts to curtail insecurity since the present administration is doing everything to boost their morale. They should do more now that they also have more troops on the ground with the recent recruitment.
“The activation of the Army Aviation would also go a long way in complementing the efforts of the Air Force, now that we also have attack helicopters in the six geopolitical zones.”
Ndume said the military should take advantage of the improved welfare package and increased manpower from recent recruitment exercises to intensify efforts against security threats across the country.
The lawmaker also expressed optimism that the activation of the Army Aviation unit would strengthen ongoing military operations by complementing the activities of the Nigerian Air Force.
The Presidency had recently announced plans to begin implementing a new salary package for certain categories of Armed Forces personnel, in line with an earlier commitment by President Tinubu.
Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively.
He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.
He began his journalism career in The Republic Newspaper, Lagos in 1987 as a Special Correspondent in Benin City, Edo State.
In 1990, he was posted from Lagos to old Anambra State as a State Correspondent in Enugu.
In 1994, he joined the African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Ibadan, Oyo State, Publisher of Nigerian Tribune Newspapers where he rose to the rank of Southeast Bureau Chief.
Retiring from the mainstream traditional media in 2019, he began another journey in online newspaper publication.
He was the Overall Best Reporter in 2015, an award bestowed on him by Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State.
He has attended several workshops/seminars organised by multi-nationals, government institutions, local and international media including BBC.
He is also a unionist and had held top positions as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists of Enugu Correspondents’ Chapel and State Council of NUJ, respectively. He was also a one-time Enugu State Secretary of Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
