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By Philip Nwosu and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja, Sola Ojo, Kaduna
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that the armed forces would continue to sustain their operational tempo to contain the security challenges in the country.
He also urged Nigerians to believe in the capability of the armed forces to safeguard and bring long-lasting peace and stability to the country.
Buhari who spoke at the opening of the 12th Nigerian Navy games in Lagos, yesterday, said plans were on to ensure that security agencies put appropriate measures in place to secure the country despite the challenges.
He called for synergy between the armed forces, other security agencies and the general public in bringing about long-lasting peace and stability in the country.
He said the 12th Nigerian Navy Games, remained a landmark event for the force, especially as it doubles as the commissioning ceremony of its newly constructed Sports Complex.
“Over the years, sports have remained a tool to strengthen the ties between troops, instilling discipline and readiness to serve a common cause in the military. I am sure that these games will create the forum for the Nigerian Navy to achieve these objectives and more.
“The construction of this sports complex has provided a standard venue for the Nigerian Navy to host major games as well as an appropriate venue for naval personnel within Lagos to use for training and other recreational purposes. I am therefore confident that besides the conduct of the games, the Nigerian Navy and its personnel will continue to make good use of the facilities in this complex,” he said.
He urged all participating athletes to inculcate fair play and exhibit high level of decorum during the competition.
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo said hosting the 12th Navy Games amidst resource constraints, displayed the force’s resolve to enhance fitness of naval personnel and capacity to tackle prevailing security challenges.
Meanwhile, National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), has linked the increase in the number of out-of-school children from 10.5 million in 2021 to 18.5 million in 2022 to the general insecurity in the country.
The commission highlighted banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and early marriage in the North West as chief setbacks to efforts by government and development partners to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country.
Executive Secretary of NCNE, Prof. Bashir Usman stated this, yesterday, in Kaduna, at a capacity-building training for members of School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) and Mothers’ Associations (MAS) from the North West states on combating the menace of out-of-school children.
He lamented that 3.5 million of the 18.5 million children are from nomadic backgrounds.
He said out-of-school children had remained a challenge in the implementation of Nomadic Education Programme (NEP) in Nigeria.
