Germany To Support Nigeria's Peace Keeping Efforts
-- Envoy
The
German Government has expressed its willingness to
continue to support Nigeria's peace keeping efforts.
Under the German Technical Advisor Group (G-TAG) was
established in 2001, the country support the
Nigerian Armed Forces in its Peace Keeping Mission
under the German equipment aid programme.
This assurance is coming through the Ambassador of
the Republic of Germany to Nigeria, Mr Joachim
Schmillen, following the German Parliament’s
decision to end the equipment aid
programme in December 2008.
According to him, ``I have been able to convince the
authorities in Germany to continue and I hope we can
bring Nigeria back in 2012 to start a new programme.
Under the arrangement, the German Armed Forces would
assist Nigerian Army to maintain its vehicles, with
the cooperation of the Nigerian Ministry of Defence.
He said the extension, which would serve as a
follow-up programme, would ensure that the ongoing
projects were completed and sustained.
Value Added
Schmillen said the main challenge in the first
period of the programme from 2001 to 2005 was the
construction and equipping of a workshop in the
Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja.
It would also include training of the soldiers on
how to use the machines, vehicles and tools
independently.
``These vehicles are equipped with special machines
and tools. They are appropriate for field
maintenance and should be used in Peace Keeping
Areas’’, he said
The first group of mechanics for the special
vehicles were trained directly by G-TAG personnel
before they went to peace keeping missions.
NAN/ Qasim/Austeen