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AN
ADDRESS BY THE CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF,
LIEUTENANT GENERAL ABDULRAHMAN BELLO
DAMBAZAU, CFR
DSS psc ndc fwc (+) PhD
ON
THE OCCASION OF THE COMMISSIONING CEREMONY OF
SHEHU MUSA YAR’ADUA BARRACKS,
ASOKORO, ABUJA
ON THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010
 Chief of Army Staff, COAS, delivering a speech at the commissioning ceremony of Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Barracks  Ag President Goodluck Jonathan cuts the tape to commission the Barracks
The Acting President,
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
The Senate President and Speaker House
of Representatives
Distinguished Honourable Members of
the National Assembly
Honourable Ministers
Permanent Secretaries
The Chief of Defence Staff, Service
Chiefs and IGP
PSOs at DHQ and Svc levels
Commandant Nigerian Defence Academy
GOsC, Corps Comds
Members of the Families of Late Major
General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua
Distinguished Invited Guests
Members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen
I
feel greatly honoured to welcome you this morning to this auspicious occasion
of the commissioning ceremony of the newly constructed Shehu Musa Yar’Adua
Barracks here in Asokoro, Abuja. My joy
on this occasion stems from the fact that with this exercise the Nigerian Army
will have succeeded in granting accommodation to at least 105 of its personnel
and their families within the Federal Capital Territory and by June another set
of 105 families would have been accommodated, bringing it to a total of 210
families. But as crucial as it is, this
exercise goes beyond merely providing accommodation for its personnel. It serves to mark the accomplishment of a
very novel approach in looking inwards and utilizing available resources for
the maximum benefit of the service, the personnel and the Nigerian nation
generally. Precisely, this project was
conceived by the present leadership of the Nigerian Army and executed from
November 2008 through Direct Labour by the Nigerian Army Engineers. There is no gain saying that by this
approach, the Nigerian Army has cut down on its cost by more than 80%.
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The
office of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is at the apex of the NA
structure. It exists under his command, to deter all forms of
aggression and render MACA and MACP. Section 18(3) of the Armed Forces
Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, saddles the COAS
with the responsibility of command, direction and general
superintendence of the Army.
