Buratai receives new OSMA President Maikano, pledges support for sports development

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai said the Nigerian Army will do its best to support the development of sports in the country.

General Buratai was speaking Wednesday while receiving the newly elected president of the Organization of Military Sports in Africa (OSMA), and Vice President of the International Military Sports Council (CISM), Brigadier General Abdullahi Maikano at the Nigerian Army Resource Cenre, Abuja.

While congratulating Maikano for the victory, General Buratai noted that it is a victory for not just the Nigerian Army, but for the entire country.

He further charged the president to use his office to improve military ties with neighboring countries in a bid to improve regional security.

In his remarks, the Brigadier General Abdullahi Maikano while thanking the Chief of Army Staff for the support which led to his emergence as President pledged to institute sporting programmes that will provide opportunities for regional militaries and service chiefs to engage so as not just to improve sports but multilateral military cooperation.

General Abdullahi was elected by 51 African member countries at a General Assembly held on 7th October via virtual and zooming conference in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol.

Brigadier General Maikano was elected OSMA President and thus CISM Vice President in a keenly contested election in which he emerged victorious against three other contestants from Algeria, Kenya and Guinea-Conakry.