The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has sought the partnership and support of the Nigerian army and other security agencies to flush out illegal miners and mining activities in the state.
Makinde, who pointed out that there are a lot of security challenges facing the country despite its dwindling fortunes, said the state was designing a way to gather intelligence on illegal miners and pass the same to the Army and other security agencies with a view to preventing criminality through illegal mining activities.
The governor, while hosting the new General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Major Aminu Chinade, at the Courtesy Room of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Southwest, Nigeria, pledged his continued support to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in the state.
He commended the GOC who took over the headship of the Division a few weeks ago and the Garrison Commander, who came in at about the same time, for hitting the ground running immediately after they came in.
Makinde said: “I was a little bit apprehensive that maybe it will take some time for the new occupants of those positions to settle in but I can tell you and everybody that the assimilation of our situation was very quick and we saw a lot of action and continuity with what we were doing with the outgoing GOC and Garrison Commander.”
Appreciation
The governor, who appreciated the GOC and the rank and file of the 2 Division for what they had been doing in the state, disclosed that the division had provided officers and men, who had conducted themselves professionally, for the state security outfit ‘Operation Burst’, affirming that the cordial relationship that exists between the Division and the civilian population would continue.
He noted: “Security challenges keep mounting and you are being asked to do so much more with far fewer resources. So, for us as a state, we recognise the fact that we have to come in and we will do our best within the little resources available to us to ensure that we support your operation. We will also contribute our own portion to ensure that ‘Operation Still Waters’ is successful in this state.”
Earlier, the new General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major Chinade, appreciated Governor Makinde for the support he has been giving to the Army in the state, revealing that he had been going around to familiarise himself with units and formations within the Division of his area of responsibility.
He said: “I want to thank you, Your Excellency, for being a good host and the support you have rendered to us. Let me also use this opportunity to hint you about our ‘Operation Still Waters’, which is an annual exercise that is designed to address prevailing security issues within the respective areas of operations where those exercises are conducted.
“We want to convey the warm greeting of the Chief of Army Staff to you and thank you for being good to us and other sister agencies. You have consistently been good to us. We thank you so much for the unprecedented support for 2 Division, because I have had the opportunity to serve in the Division before now,” the GOC stated.
He explained that the ‘Operation Still Waters’ exercise would run till the end of the year and even to the early part of the New Year and called on Oyo State citizens to feel at home, saying they have no reason to complain or be afraid when they see the military movement and the hype in military activities.
Olusola Akintonde
