Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has applauded the outgoing Commander, Nigerian Army ,14 Brigade Ohafia, Brigadier General Olusola Diya for his tireless efforts in keeping Abia peaceful and safe while he served in the State.
Governor Otti was speaking during the official introduction of the new Commander, Brigadier General Hassan Muhammad Bello who was recently posted to Abia State. He said that Brigadier Diya left behind an excellent performance record and urged his successor to build on what the outgoing Brigadier General had done to ensure a peaceful Abia.
“I must put on record, his (Diya’s) service to the State in the last one year, but it feels like he has spent two years because of the level of activities he has championed.
“His transfer came to us as a rude shock. We knew he will leave but didn’t know it will be this quickly. We thank God because he is still in the service and still a member of this family,” Gov. Otti stated.
Governor Otti challenged the new Brigadier Commander to think of new ways of fighting crime and reminded him that security is on the top priority of the State, adding that no effort is spared in achieving that.
“I want to challenge you to continue to think of new ways. Where we are now, we are introducing technology into crime fighting. The details you will get to be acquainted with in due course
“You have to surpass his (Diya’s) record and I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that he is leaving behind an excellent record of performance. We have worked closely on the security architecture of the State.
“We are not sparing any effort in ensuring that this place remains safe and the truth is that top priority for users as a government is security and we believe if we cannot guarantee some reasonable level of security here, every other thing we are doing would make little significance.
“So, that is why we don’t spare any efforts whenever we are dealing with security issues,” Gov. Otti assured.
While introducing the new Brigade Commander to the Governor, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security matters, Navy Commander MacDonald Ubah Rtd, said that Governor Alex Otti sees security as the bedrock of any society and thanked the Governor for providing security agencies in the State with all that is needed towards achieving a peaceful and secured State.
He noted that a lot was achieved under the one year Service of the outgoing Brigadier General Olusola Diya and expressed hope that the new Commander will surpass the records of his predecessor.
Earlier, the outgoing Commander, Brigadier General Olusola Diya said that Abia remains a family to him having served the State for a year and said that his successor would do better than him. He appreciated Governor Otti for his assistance in ensuring that Abia is kept safe.
Also speaking, the new Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Hassan Muhammed Bello while expressing joy to be in the state, promised to work with other security agencies to sustain and improve on the gains of his predecessor as well as support the vision of Governor Otti in making Abia the most peaceful and secured state in Nigeria.
Governor Otti was joined by members of the State Executive Council including the Honourable Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Mr. Chibueze Nwokocha, the Attorney General and Hon. Commissioner for Justice, Bar. Ikechukwu Uwanna, the Director General, Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA), Arc. Uche Ukeje and other senior government officials.
