-Blank NEWS Online (NIGERIA) –From Mike SOGBOLO (Head- North East Bureau):

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has welcomed the appointment of new service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari, promising to continue to support them in the ongoing fight against insurgency.

The governor, who also expressed gratitude to outgoing ones, particularly the chiefs of army, and air staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai and Air Marshall Abubakar Sadique, whom he said his government worked more closely with in the fight against Boko Haram.

Zulum made the comment on Tuesday night in Maiduguri, when some journalists sought his reaction to the President’s action.

He said: “The outgoing service chiefs have been with us in the last six years, and during these eventful and challenging years, they immensely contributed to ongoing peace building efforts through the fight against Boko Haram, and they helped grateful in other developmental efforts.

“Our rebuilding and resettlement efforts are only possible because of the combined efforts of Lieutenant General Buratai as chief of army staff, Air Marshall Sadique as chief of air staff, of course with so much contribution from other service chiefs, intelligence bodies, police, paramilitary and volunteers.

“We cant ignore these huge contributions, but then, as we all know, everything has an appointed time, we thank all the outgoing service chiefs for their contributions and we wish them the best in future endeavors.

“As for the incoming, especially, Gen. LEO Irabor who is chief of defence staff and General Attahiru, the COAS, both of them have worked here in Borno as theatre commanders of operation Lafiya Dole, they know all the issues and I am sure they will hit the ground running. The Borno State Government will accord them the same maximum support we gave their predecessors, and we will continue in our own roles in supporting the military with logistics as we have been regularly doing, we will sustain our mobilization of communities for intelligence gathering, funding operations of thousands of volunteers, praying for our troops and volunteers in front lines and supporting their families as we have been doing.”