By Omar Bah
Miatta Lily French, the Ecowas representative in The Gambia, has commended the professional conduct of the Nigerian Company 7 troops who have completed a year’s tour of duty with the Ecomig Mission in The Gambia.
Ambassador French made the comments yesterday at a ceremony marking the decoration of the troops who will return to Nigeria today. Yesterday’s decoration was the first since the troops arrived in the country in 2017.
“The Nigerian peacekeepers have continually served with unstinted resilience and unwavering mettle in The Gambia since the inception of the mission,” Ambassador French said.
She said Nigeria has continuously contributed significantly to Ecowas missions and has thus far contributed air and naval assets as well as a good number of peacekeepers in several countries.
“Nigeria’s peacekeepers have earned numerous accolades, wherever they have served. As the head of Ecomig, I must applaud the contingent for the good reports on your conduct and discipline. Throughout the tour, you demonstrated professionalism and commitment to the achievement of the Ecomig mandate,” she said.
She commended the Nigerian government for its contribution to peacekeeping in The Gambia.
The Ecomig force commander, Colonel Ousmane Aly Kane, said the Nigerian army is full of values characterised by professionalism.
“The troops have shown with pride, self-sacrifice and a sense of duty that they are worthy heirs of an army with a long tradition of imposition, restoration and peacekeeping throughout the world,” Colonel Kane said.
He said as a key element in the execution of the Ecomig mandate, the Nigerian troops have actively participated in securing all the activities of the president and members of the government and institutions.
“The troops have also contributed in facilitating confidence building between the new political authorities and the defence and security forces,” he said.
