The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, on Tuesday pledged to provide more befitting and comfortable accommodation for officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army across the country.
Yahaya made the pledge during the inauguration of transit accommodations at Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment Giri and the Nigerian Army Resource Centre Asokoro in Abuja.
He said that provision of infrastructure in barracks was his priority, adding that completed and other ongoing projects across formations was to bridge the accommodation deficit for personnel.
The COAS said that the Army would continue to identify and properly document areas of need to enhance the welfare of all personnel.
“We will approve those areas that need immediate intervention starting with the worst going to the best and where there are challenges, acute shortages, we pursue with additional structures.
“It is work in progress and the commanders on ground know where it is biting most, so let us know areas that need immediate intervention.
“The commanders on ground have the responsibility to check, see and then advise, discuss or liaise with the Department of Logistics, so that together we harness what is required and we move on,” he said.
Acting Director of Procurement (Army), Brig.-Gen. Abdullahi Ibrahim, said the completion of the project was a further testament of the importance the COAS placed on infrastructure development.
Ibrahim said the new building was another massive step to significantly improve the accommodation deficit for officers within Abuja.
The acting director said that the situation arose due to relocation of more formations to Abuja in line with the current reorganisation of the Nigerian army.
Ibrahim said the transit accommodation was conceptualised in June 2020 as part of measures to bridge the accommodation gap for officers at the Army Resource Center, Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment and Tukur Buratai Institute of War and Peace.
He said Nigerian Army engineers had also constructed link roads within the cantonment among other infrastructures.
The acting director added that efforts were being made to connect the cantonment to the FCT water board, to provide potable water to the barrack.
