News: NEMA distributes relief materials to slain soldiers’ families in North-East

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THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday distributed relief materials to wives and families of military personnel who died during the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East sub-region of the country.

NEMA Director-General, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, said President Goodluck Jonathan directed the agency to extend its mandate to families and wives of military troops who died in the course of fighting insurgents.

“The President, not under-rating the efforts made by the Nigerian military, has directed NEMA out of its mandate to present relief materials to wives and families of soldiers killed in battle-field,” said Sidi, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Search and Rescue Team (SRET), Air Commodore Charles Otegbade, in Maiduguri yesterday.

His words: “The distribution of these relief materials is very unique and important because we lost quite a number of soldiers; and left behind many children and wives. It would be necessary to give a supporting hand to the Nigerian Army to raise moral of soldiers in the battle-fields.”

Sidi also said that similar presentation of relief materials was done in Yola of Adamawa State, adding that the agency would continue to support the military, especially in the area of welfare to its troops within the purview of its mandate.

The donated relief materials, according to the director, comprise 8,500 bags of rice, 8,500 bags of beans, 6,000 bags of millet, 6,000 bags of sugar, 6,000 bags of garri, cartons and kegs of cooking oil, noodles and toiletries, among others.

General Commanding Officer (GOC) the Nigerian Army of Seven Division, Maiduguri, Maj.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, who received the materials on behalf of the wives and families of the slain soldiers, gave assurance that all the soldiers under the Army Division would receive all the relief materials donated by NEMA.

He said the donated materials would assist to boost the morale of soldiers fighting in the battle-fields in Borno and Yobe states.

His words: “It is an increase in a way to the welfare of our troops. This will no doubt add to whatever things the Army is doing for our troops in the battle-fields. The troops will also feel the impact of these gestures from the Presidency. We thanked the President for not forgetting his own and I thanked NEMA for the support.”