NEW GOC CALLS FOR COOPERATION FROM CIVILIANS

By NBF News

The new General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3rd Armoured Division, Rukuba, Plateau State, Maj. Gen. Sunday Idoko, has called for greater cooperation between civilians and the military to have a sustainable democracy.

He said in Jos shortly after he took over the division from Major Gen. Saleh Maina, that the military had a greater role to play as the nation moves towards election period in ensuring a smooth transition.

He said he had been fully briefed on the challenges before the Division and promised to do his best to ensure that the standard his predecessor had left would be maintained; pointing out that having taken over from him in the past, he knew his sterling qualities and would live up to them.

Major-General Idoko, therefore, appealed to the public, the press and the officers to give him the required cooperation to enable him achieve the set goals, saying the task ahead the command was enormous. In a related development, the Special Task Force (STF), for the restoration of peace in Plateau State has been given autonomy and seperated from the 3rd amoured division of the Nigerian Army.

Consequently, Brig.-Gen. Hassan Umaru is now the new commander of the task force and had taken over from the former commander, Maj.-Gen. Maina. In his acceptance speech, Brig.- Gen. Umaru noted that the out- going GOC left a track record but that he was optimistic he would make greater success with the cooperation of the officers and various commanders.

He enjoined the media to cooperate with the task force by reporting true stories of events to avoid misdirecting the public. Earlier, Maj.-Gen. Maina, assured the new task force commander and the in-coming GOC that officers of the 3rd armoured division would continue to give them the maximum cooperation to succeed in the new assignment.

He recalled that the division demonstrated high level of professionalism and self discipline in carrying out their responsibilities, during his tenure, stressing that he was confident that they would not renege in that tenets.