Nation
Army Remains Committed To Retirees’ Welfare -COAS
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, said Nigerian Army remained committed to enhancing the welfare of its retired and discharged personnel.
Faruk disclosed this in a goodwill message he sent to the send-off ceremony and regimental dinner night in honour of 14 retired officers of the ranks of colonel and below in 1 Division of the Nigerian Army.
The COAS was represented on the occasion by the Commandant Depot, Nigeria Army, Maj.-Gen. Aminu Chinade.
He said the occasion was conceived out of the desire to accord a befitting send- off ceremony to all personnel that served the army and the nation meritoriously and were retiring from active service.
According to him, retirement is an inevitable phase in the life of every military personnel and it marks the completion of active service to the nation.
“I must commend you all for the remarkable achievement you made while in active service to the nation.
“I wish to also assure you that Nigerian Army remained grateful for the service you rendered in the defence of our fatherland.
“I will like to take this opportunity to inform you of ongoing efforts to re-engage the services of our qualified retired and discharged personnel in order to continue to benefit from your wealth of priceless experience and professionalism garnered over the years.
“The army is still open to your invaluable contributions towards attaining her constitutional mandate and would always welcome your support in that regard,” he said.
Yahaya informed the retired officers that the army health facilities and other welfare institutions were available to them in various barracks and cantonments across the nation.
He implored them to fulfill their obligations, even as retired officers, towards defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria, as espoused in their oath of allegiance. “I also urge you all to shun all forms of misconduct or actions capable of bringing the army into disrepute in retirement, as you are seen as worthy ambassadors of the Nigerian Army”, he said.
Also, the Guest of Honor, Maj.-Gen. Mahmud Yarima (rtd), emphasised that retirement was a gratifying phase in the life of every military personnel.
Yarima, erstwhile Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, said retirement was a milestone which was worth celebrating.
He cautioned the retirees on how to use their entitlements, as there were many fraudsters prowling for those to defraud.
“You must be careful of falling victims of their fraudulent activities, they have misled many of our colleagues and the outcome has not been pleasant.
“All I need to say in this regard is that you must ‘shine your eyes’, “ he said.
Also, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen Kabir Mukhtar, said this historic event signified another milestone made by the administration of the COAS in his zeal to upholding regimentation of the Nigerian Army.
Mukhtar said the four vital elements of the COAS administration, professionalism, readiness, administration and cooperation were aimed at running an all-inclusive Nigerian Army at all levels.
He said: “Today, we are here to celebrate and honour our retired officers who in many ways have contributed to the Nigeria Army in particular and the nation in general.’
The Tide’s source reports that 14 officers were honoured at the occasion.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
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