Air Force Pledges Support To RSIEC

The Special Operation Group of the Nigeria Airforce in Port Harcourt, has promised to airlift sensitive election materials and men for the Local Government elections in Rivers State.

The Commander of the 97 Special Operations Group of the Nigeria Airforce in Port Harcourt, Air Vice Marshall Abah Zannah gave the assurance when the newly inaugurated 3rd commission of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) paid his command a courtesy visit.

He said the command will perform its primary function of security and surveillance in addition to airlifting of election materials to Riverine communities during the Local government polls.

Marshall Zannah noted that the Airforce will ensure the needed support expected from them will be met, noting that the command has to justify the fund spent on them by government.

The Airforce commander said that the commission should always be in touch so as to remind the command of the day-to-day activities of the commission, promising to render their assistance whenever they are called upon.    He commended the chairman and members of the board, stressing that with the experience of the RSIEC boss, he had no doubt that the commission will conduct a credible, transparent, free and fair election.

Air vice Marshall Zannah promised to sustain the cordial relationship between the two bodies.

Earlier, the chairman of RSIEC, Prof Augustine Ahiazu explained that visit to the command was to intimate them on the inauguration of the new board and strengthen the existing relationship between the two.

Prof Ahiazu said the successes recorded in the Local Government Area polls by the commission was as the result of the assistance the command rendered to the commission by making available their helicopters, which he said will airlift materials and staff to Bonny, Opobo/Nkoro and Andoni Local Government Areas.