President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that his administration would not relent until Boko Haram terrorism and the security crises in parts of the country were eradicated.

The President stated this on Monday at the 55th Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Day Celebration in Abuja.

Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, he said the government was working on “stabilisation, reconstruction and resettlement phase of the overall efforts in the North-East,” and sought the support and understanding of Nigerians.

Speaking further, he also urged Nigerians to disregard political, religious and ethnic affiliations and focus on winning the war against terrorism and insurgency.

His words: “As you may recall in my inaugural speech as President, I promised to put an end to the Boko Haram insurgency which hitherto had posed a grave threat to Nigeria’s territorial integrity as well as development in the North-East. In fulfilling this promise, training and the acquisition of new platforms and other support equipment for the armed forces were intensified.

“The employment of the newly acquired platforms in addition to the Super Tucano aircraft which would be delivered in 2022 will add impetus to the combat efficiency of the Nigerian Air Force. Moving forward, I charge you to consolidate on the gains of air power towards sustaining the peace and stability we have attained so far.

“As part of our continued commitment to equip the armed forces, I will induct two NAF Agusta 109 power helicopters. I appreciate the roles played by the air force in the just concluded general elections. It went a long way in checkmating the activities of electoral saboteurs and other criminal elements.”

In his remarks, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, said NAF had increased the strength of service personnel by 7,500 airmen, airwomen and 400 officers.

“Additionally, two new commands and two staff branches were established to meet the evolving security challenges we are faced with,” he added.