Support our frontline troops, Buratai urges Nigerians

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has appealed to corporate organisations and public spirited Nigerians to support the “Thank You for Your Service’’ Initiative recently launched for troops in the frontline.

Buratai, who made the appeal at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, said the initiative was to boost the morale of the troops.

Under the scheme conceived by the army, bottled water with the inscription: “Thank For Your Service’’ is being produced by the private sector for free distribution to troops, especially those in the North-East.

Buratai had earlier launched the bottled water on Tuesday in Abuja where he unveiled packs of the water for the troops.

Represented by Maj.-Gen. Peter Bojie, the Chief of Military/Civil Affairs, the Army Chief said: “This water is not for sale as it is meant for every Nigerian soldier, especially those in the frontline.

“There is a need to say thank you to the officers and men of the Nigerian Army for their selfless service,’’ he said.

According to him, without the buy-in of the Nigerian people, this initiative cannot succeed.

He, therefore, appealed to well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations, groups and state governments and self-funded parastatals to join hands with the Army to make the initiative a success.

On the sustainability of the initiative after the insurgency in the North-East, the chief of army staff said that it all depended on the goodwill of Nigerians.

He said the bottled water was expected to be distributed free to all troops deployed in frontline across the nation to address internal conflict.

During the launch, Enugu State Government supported the initiative with N10 million, Ebonyi Government gave N5 million, while the Nigeria Customs Service gave N1.5 million, among others.