Army chief seeks special funds as 13,000 recruits face housing crisis

Olufemi Oluyede, chief of army staff, has called for special funding for the Nigerian Army, citing rising operational demands and the lack of adequate welfare provisions for personnel.

Oluyede made the appeal on Thursday during a visit by the Senate Committee on Army to the Army Headquarters in Abuja.

According to Punch, he said the current envelope budgeting framework is no longer sufficient to meet the Army’s growing responsibilities.

“This year alone, we are expecting about 13,000 new personnel, but there are no corresponding resources to provide accommodation for them,” he said.

“We still have soldiers not being accommodated, and that number will continue to grow. We are not only looking at insecurity within, but what if someday we are challenged from outside?

“I want to pray that you look into this, and at the same time, look at how we can get special funds for us to provide accommodation for our soldiers. It’s very critical.”

The army chief said improved funding would also boost morale and operational readiness across the country’s military zones.

In his remarks, Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, acknowledged the budgetary gap and backed calls to remove the Armed Forces from the envelope budgeting structure.

Yar’Adua said the committee had conducted oversight visits to army formations in Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Lagos states, and would continue to support the military.

“We want to assure the chief of army staff of our continued support and collaboration with the executive to ensure the Army is adequately funded,” he said.

He added that another round of oversight would be conducted before the end of the year to assess the implementation of the 2025 budget.