By Chinyere Aruogu
The Chief of Army Staff’s Conference fixed for December 4, 2016 will hold in Owerri, Imo State.
The essence of the conference is for the army to carry out reassessment of all its operations and to also come up with new blue-prints for the operations of the army.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Enugu, General Ibrahim Attahiru gave the hint when he visited Governor Rochas Okorocha at the Government House on Wednesday, November 16 with his team, and said that they had come for the final preparations, to ensure a hitch-free conference. He gave reasons for the choice of Imo as the venue.
General Attahiru said they chose Owerri for the conference because Imo State provides a very good atmosphere for such conference, adding that about 460 officers of the Nigeria Army will be attending the conference, according to a statement by Sam Onwuemedo, the media aide to Okorocha.
His words “I am pleased to say that the support gotten from the Imo State government has been impressive. We have gone round the location of the conference and could not thank the Imo government enough for the quality of facilities on ground. Imo State has made giant strides and the army would want to provide an atmosphere for the continued growth and socio-economic development of the state.”
Okorocha in his speech said, “I’m very appreciative of the fact that Imo has been chosen for the changing-army conference. We cannot over-emphasize the economic impact and attention it will draw to Imo State across the globe.”
He added: “The Nigeria army has been one we are very proud of, especially giving what you have done to combat crime and insurgence in the North-east region of the federal republic of Nigeria. The job is highly commendable, and for those of them who have lost their lives in the course of their duty our heart goes with them and we sympathise with their families.”
“Imo State is ready to host the conference as the facilities required are all in place. I am proud to say that Imo has some of the best facilities in the country to host any of such events. Imo is the home of hospitality. We have lined up programmes for the Chief of Army Staff. He will be addressing our children in the secondary schools to encourage them and resurrect their interest in joining the army because they are gradually losing the interest in joining the noble profession. He will equally address our traditional rulers who are curious to know about what is happening in the North East and the way out,”