|
|
Liberia: Unmil FC Ends Duty
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Analyst (Monrovia)
18 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Sallu Swaray
The outgoing Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Lt/Gen.Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor has described his tenure in Liberia as "one of the great achievements and success."
At a farewell press conference Wednesday at UNMIL's Headquarters, Gen.Obiakor said he was proud to have commanded a committed troop to the task of assisting Liberia to achieve peace.
"When I look back and recollect the past, I feel proud of the tremendous successes and achievements of UNMIL.
"Let me state here that this would never have been possible without the joint efforts of the mission as a whole, while each and every member of UNMIL Force, the government of Liberia, other aid agencies and most importantly all of the Liberian People also help greatly to the success of UNMIL," he said.
He assumed command in January 2006 when the country was extremely fragile and challenging in all the sectors. During his tenure of commander of the multinational force, Liberia held successful elections, which followed by the inauguration of the government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Touching on the regional situation, Gen.Obiakor said UNMIL is contact with regional security agencies, and that they have accurate knowledge of developments from the various countries bordering Liberia. On arming the LNP, he said the police must first meet the pre-requisites and international standards.
After nearly two-and-a-half years, serving as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, Lt/Gen. Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor leaves the country later this week to take up a new senior job at the UN Headquarters in New York, as the Military Advisor (MILAD) to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon.
Lt.-Gen. Obiakor, who had served earlier in Liberia, in 1995, as the Artillery Brigade Commander under the West African peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, becomes the first African to take this important position of MILAD at UN Headquarters.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan named Lt./Gen. Obiakor as Force Commander of UNMIL on 5 December 2005.
He has had a long and distinguished career with the Nigerian Army, beginning in 1973. Prior to his appointment as UNMIL Force Commander, he was the General Officer Commanding, Second Mechanized Division, of the Nigerian Army.
He has served as the Commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Artillery Brigade in Liberia in 1996 and 1997, and as the ECOMOG Chief Coordinator of the Liberian elections in July 1997.
He has also served as the Chief of Administration of the Nigerian Army, with responsibility for the welfare, discipline and medical services for all Nigerian military personnel.
|
Born on 18 February 1951, Lieutenant General Obiakor is a graduate of the National War College in Abuja. He holds a Master of Science degree in strategic studies from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and has participated in numerous international military courses.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 The Analyst. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
