On November 4, 2022, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya CFR, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), built and gave a block of four classrooms with restrooms to the College of Arabic and Islamic Studies (CAISO) in Idoji, Okene Local Government Area, Kogi State. The COAS also renovated a block of Assembly Hall and staff rooms in addition to building the principal’s office.
The COAS and the Sponsor explained the gesture during the launching of the projects in Okene by saying that it was a part of the Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Special Intervention Projects that the Nigerian Army was carrying out all across the nation.
The COAS, who was represented by Maj Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, Commander Headquarters Command Army Records (HQ CAR), said, “The Nigerian Army has taken deliberate steps towards ensuring that it gives back to the society the cooperation it enjoys from them by observing some corporate social responsibilities.”
He continued by saying that it was entirely consistent with his vision of “A Professional Nigerian Army, Ready to Accomplish Assigned Missions within a Joint Environment in Defense of Nigeria.”
He revealed that the project being inaugurated today was one of many quick-impact projects and activities related to civil-military cooperation that the Nigerian Army had carried out across the nation in order to support national development while also meeting the needs of the ldoji community and its immediate surroundings.
He pleaded with the locals to view this endeavor as a mark of the Nigerian Army’s friendship with them. Let it advance the desired state of peace and development and, yes, bring prosperity to the neighborhood, advised Lt. Gen. Yahaya.
The COAS also expressed his gratitude to the community of Idoji, the royal fathers, the executive governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Yahaya Bello, and all the good people for their unwavering support, especially for the Nigerian Army. Therefore, he urged the populace to continue living in peace, harmony, and tolerance, emphasizing that the purpose of the state’s recent Exercise Enduring Peace I was to maintain peace.
Speaking for himself, Maj Gen Sunday Igbinomwanhia, Commander Command Army Records, thanked the COAS for funding some of those initiatives in Kogi State, which falls within his Area of Responsibility.
The projects’ director, Maj Gen Sanusi Dahiru, commended the COAS for his commitment to education and financial support of their realization. Maj Gen Sanusi Dahiru is the Director of Administration and Logistics Defence Research and Development Bureau. Maj Gen Dahiru noted that his father had such a strong love for the school during his lifetime and said the initiative was a way of reaching out to his community.
The Ohinoyi of Ebira Land, His Royal Majesty Alhaji Ado Ibrahim, commended the COAS in his own remarks for the kindness shown to his people and for maintaining sufficient security in the State. The projects, according to His Royal Majesty, who was represented by the Asema Ezuka, His Royal Highness Dr. Muhammed Isah, would significantly aid the neighborhood and the pupils’ capacity for effective learning.
The school’s principal, Mr. Zakarriyau Ahmad, expressed his sincere gratitude to both the COAS and Maj. Gen. Sanusi Dahiru for the projects that had been completed. …