The Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Olufemi Oluyede, has solicited the National Assembly’s budgetary support to secure the nation and accommodate young soldiers.
General Oluyede appealed on yesterday when he received the Senate Committee on Army, led by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, on a condolence visit.
He lamented that resources accruing to the Nigerian Army have been dwindling despite the rising number of recruits.
The Army Chief stated that the Nigerian Army has been recruiting 15,000 yearly in recent years without support to provide accommodation for them.
He wondered where such soldiers would stay if insecurity stabilised and they were to return to the Barracks.
He said, “It’s essential for me to reiterate that Nigeria belongs to all of us, and without your support, it would be tough for us to secure Nigeria.
So I want to really appeal to you, the eminent personality of Nigeria, to please support us and make our job very easy so that we can help secure Nigeria as much as possible.
Over time, we‘ve had situations where the resources attributed to the Nigerian Army keep dwindling. This is an excellent forum for me to appeal that a few critical issues should be noted when considering next year‘s budget.
“First, the Nigerian Army. For instance, we‘ve recruited 15,000 personnel in the last few years. But I can tell you that not a single support has been given in terms of the accommodation,”
Earlier, Senator Yar‘Adua, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, charged the Acting COAS with continuing the legacy of the late Army Chief Lt-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja.
He said the Senate had a robust relationship with Lagbaja, whom he described as an „efficient officer“ and knowledgeable of military Operations.
He said late Lagbaja was „very honest“ and „says it as it is.“
The Committee chairman stated that late Lt-Gen Lagbaja led the Army and improved the country‘s security significantly.
He assured the Acting COAS of the same courtesy and support so that he could continue with the legacy.
He further urged the Army to deploy technology in the fight against terrorists.
