The acting Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Olufemi Oluyede, has urged the Nigerian government to allocate more funds to the Nigerian Army to enable it to fulfill its constitutional duties and provide adequate accommodation for soldiers.

Oluyede made the appeal during a condolence visit by the Senate Committee on Army, led by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, in Abuja on Monday. The acting Chief expressed concern that while the army has been recruiting approximately 15,000 new personnel annually, it has yet to provide sufficient housing for these recruits.

He warned that the army could face accommodation challenges once the current security situation stabilizes and soldiers are reassigned to barracks. Oluyede stressed the importance of securing Nigeria and urged continued support from the government and the Senate.

“It is important for me to reiterate that Nigeria belongs to all of us, and without your support, it would be very difficult for us to secure Nigeria. I want to really appeal to you, very eminent personalities of Nigeria, to please support us and make our job easier so that we can help secure Nigeria as much as possible,” he said.

The acting Chief also highlighted the issue of dwindling resources for the army and urged that key issues, including accommodation for new recruits, be prioritized in the next year’s budget. “In the last couple of years, we’ve been recruiting about 15,000 personnel, but not a single support has been given in terms of accommodation,” Oluyede added.