By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, says considerations are ongoing to expand the reach of Command Guest Houses by establishing them in major cities in all the geo political zones of the country.
Lagbaja, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Ibrahim, said this at the Annual Command Guest Houses Stakeholders Conference, on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the desire to establish command guest houses was born out of the need to provide secure, affordable and reliable accommodation as part of efforts to cater for the welfare needs of personnel and the general public across the country.
These facilities, according to him, have continued to offer subsidised accommodation, recreation and entertainment support to users and have undoubtedly achieved their set goals and objectives.
Lagbaja said the guest houses currently exist only in Lagos, Abuja, Yola, Maiduguri, Kaduna and Sokoto states.
He however, reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army to enhance the welfare of personnel and boost welfare infrastructures across army barracks, units and formations.
“Meanwhile, since my assumption of command, efforts have been focused on improving all infrastructure, facilities in various barracks, offices and institutions.
“To these effects, I have charged the Chief of Special Services and Programmes to access the state of facilities of all the command guess how these to ensure that key areas of concern are addressed to enhance their functionality and efficiency.
“Recently about 40 officers were sent on internship programs in selector reputable hotels in Abuja and Lagos to enhance the managerial skills in the hospitality business.
“These all are aimed at improving and positioning the service delivery of these important Nigerian Army welfare facilities,” he said.
The COAS said the need to efficiently coordinate and profitably manage all army welfare investments was critical to their development and sustainability, urging the department to deliver acceptable premium services to personnel amongst other functions.
He reassured that the army would remain firmly focused on its constitutional roles, especially that of defending the territorial integrity of the nation with other services and agencies of government within a joint operational environment.
This, he said was broadly capture in his command philosophy, which is to transform the Nigerian army into a well trained and highly motivated force towards achieving its constitutional responsibility within a joint environment.
Lagbaja added that the Nigerian army would leave no stone unturned in enhancing the welfare and sound administration of personnel, which, according to him, is an important pillar of his command philosophy.
“As you all continue to provide resources and an enabling environment for efficient administration and effective operations, our personnel must reciprocate their total commitment to duty and absolute loyalty to constituted authority.
“I again charged the department to continue to improve on his current accomplishments while exploring other opportunities in the industry,” he added.
The Chief Special Servicesu and Programmes (Army), Maj.-Gen. Henry Wesley, said that command guest house had remained welfare investments put in place to provides secure and affordable accommodation for military personnel.
Wesley said the army had continued to consolidate on the services provided in the existing command guesthouses with plans to enhance it services and expand footprint to major cities across the country.
He said the army has remained focused on improving and repositioning its command guest houses for enhanced service delivery and profitability.
According to him, the theme of the conference which is “Effective Management of Nigerian Army Hospitality Outfits as a Panacea for Enhanced Service Delivery”.
Wesley said the Nigerian army was striving towards making command guest houses a notable national brand in the hospitality industry in no distant future.