…demands officers welfare be Priotised
By Gift Chapi Odekina
The House of Representatives committee on Army on Thursday said the nation’s Army must observe the highest professional standards in the discharge of its duties of safeguarding the the country.
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas (APC, adamawa), gave the charge while welcoming the leadership of the Army to the 2020/2021 budget defence session on Abuja.
Namdas, while addressing the Army Chiefs also stressed the need to prioritize the welfare of personnel, as well as troops who are putting their lives on the line to defend the country and keep everyone safe.
“We are not only after appropriations, we want to say that you should be professional in your duties”, he said.
“We will do our own job to add value to your duties. We are aware that the army is involved in series of operations, traditionally, your job is to defend the territorial integrity of the country. But because of the security challenges that is before us, you are involved in internal security. You are there to fight Boko Haram, banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping. All these things, you have been involved. You have more on your hands.
“When we went on oversight visit, we realised that there is need for us to see that alot of work is done in the Army. We have been to central engineering deport, which is the hub of the Nigerian Army, where arms and ammunitions are manufactured. We like the vision.
“Rather than relying so much on outside, you are trying to look inward to produce something internally. We like the Chief of Army Staff to focus on the Central Engineering Hub. If you look inward, that would be better, so that we can have what to use internally”, Namdas said.
On the welfare of personnel, he stressed that only a well motivated personnel can give their best to safeguard their country. “The welfare of the personnel should not be taken for granted. People cannot lay their lives for us and they are not taken care off.”
“We don’t want to hear stories that they are not getting their allowances .That is why we feel, we will all do our own part and expect that you people should do your part. Nigerians are looking up to the Army. Today in several places, if anything happens, all the crisis we are having, people still want to see the presence of the Army in certain places”, Namdas noted.
Responding to the lawmaker, the representative of the Army, Lt General Lamidi Adeosun, said “on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, we appreciate you for a job well done, especially in the area of oversight and standing for the Army whenever the need arises. As you continue with the oversight, we look forward to the committee getting into all the remaining areas that are already programmed for your visit.”
“All your concerns are noted. When you get to the ground in all the places, you will eventually visit, you will appreciate more the enormity of challenges and the much more that is been done in all the areas of intervention where funds has been released.
“That has been the job and the job they have been used to do. I want to promise that the Nigerian Army will continue to remain professional. Wherever we observe some lapses, we will continue to improve, serve Nigerians, serve the country the way the constitution of this country mandated us to serve”, the representative told the committee.
