Boko Haram: Nigeria defence minister to meet Chadian counterpart
The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali is scheduled to visit the Republic of Chad within the week to hold bilateral meetings with his Chadian counterpart General Daoud Yaya.
The spokesman of the Minister, Colonel Tukur Gusau in a statement on Sunday said the visit is in continuation of consultations with ministers’ of defence of contributing countries of the Multinational (MNJTF).
He said the Minister paid a similar visit to Niger Republic in September 2018 during which he held similar bilateral discussion with his Nigerien counterpart.
He noted that the Minister’s visit to Chad will revolve around strengthening the operations of the MNJTF to enable it achieve its mandate of eliminating security threats and creating a safe and secure environment in its area of Joint Task Force responsibility.
The MNJTF was founded in 1994 as a combined multinational formation, comprising military units, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.
It was rejuvenated in 2015 after its headquarters in Baga Nigeria was overrun by Boko haram.
It is now headquartered in N’Djamena Chad under the Command of Major General Lucky Irabor, a former Theater Commander Operation Lafiya Dole.
The Minister’s visit may also be in response to the recent killing of around 100 Nigerian soldiers, when Boko Haram overran a military base at Matele, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday expressed shock over the killing of military personnel in Metele, assuring Nigerians that immediate measures would be taken to ensure loopholes which led to the fatalities are blocked. The Joint Mobile Sanitation Agency of Nigeria (JOMSAN), Joint Sticker Agency of Nigeria (JSAN), Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) have concluded arrangements to stop collection of illegal levies from motorists across the 774 local governments of the country and the FCT.
The National Chairman of JOMSAN, Mr. Dukeson Godwin, said this yesterday in Abuja at the unions’ sensitization workshop on the new policy to harmonize revenue collection by approved local government revenue collectors.
He said ALGON and JOMSAN signed a ten-year MoU on the new policy and that it has taken immediate implementation across the country.
According to him, what is required of motorist is an annual due on mobile advertisement, branded vehicles, commercial vehicles and vehicles with commercial red number plates.
This is as the national president of JSAN, Chief Nicholas Ekwo said the MoU between the association and NULGE has been harmonized with the other MoU between JOMSAN and ALGON in the interest of the masses.
“From the complaints we have been receiving, Bayelsa, Kogi, Ekiti, Imo, Lagos, Zaria (Kaduna which has been addressed) and Imo states top where motorists have the challenges,” Godwin said.