Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The federal government has appealed to the United States to speed up the delivery of the acquired A-29 Super Tucanos aircraft for efficient military operations in the country.
The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd), stated this when he played host to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Berth Leonard, in Abuja yesterday. Magashi commended the US government for its continued support to Nigeria in the areas of healthcare and military operations.
According to him, “Nigeria has benefited from the US in providing equipment for the Nigerian Air Force, activation of the Charlie 130, supplying of aircraft spare parts, training, educational and numerous health programmes”.
In her response, the US Ambassador promised that America would continue to collaborate with Nigeria to combat the insecurity posed by the Boko Haram and other terror groups operating in the country. She said that “Pentagon is always ready to collaborate with Nigeria in combating insecurity, conflict management and precision in addressing human concerns”.
The ambassador, however, tasked the Nigerian military to maintain professionalism by protecting human rights in their operations.
On his part, the American Defence Attache, Colonel Andrew Clark, requested for a regular joint military-strategic meeting between the US and the Nigerian military.
He said this would help in effective coordination of military activities in Nigeria.
