We need more resources to secure Nigeria — Army tells National Assembly

The Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Olufemi Oluyede, has appealed for a higher budgetary allocation for the Nigerian Army to fulfil its constitutional duties and provide adequate accommodation for soldiers.

Oluyede made this appeal during a condolence visit by the Senate Committee on Army, led by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, on Monday in Abuja. He noted that the army recruits about 15,000 personnel annually but lacks sufficient housing to accommodate them.

According to him, “I need to reiterate that Nigeria belongs to all of us, and without your support, it would be very difficult for us to secure Nigeria. So I want to appeal to you, the very eminent personality of Nigeria, to just please support us and make our job very easy so that we can help secure Nigeria as much as possible.

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Well, over time, we’ve had situations where the resources that are attributed to the Nigerian Army keep dwindling. So, I think this is a very good forum for me to appeal that, maybe in considering next year’s budget, a few very important issues should be noted as it affects the Nigerian Army.

First, the Nigerian Army. For instance, in the last couple of years, we’ve been recruiting about 15,000 personnel. But I can tell you that not a single support has been given in terms of their accommodation. So, I can just imagine if, at some point, if we’re able to checkmate all the security challenges, where will those people retire to? It’s something that gives me sleepless nights.

So, I want to appeal to the National Assembly to please consider these very critical issues, as well as other combat enablers that can help us do our job better, especially in areas of technology, so that we can help secure Nigeria.”