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%.

You may recall, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, that at the foundation laying ceremony of this project on 28 May 2009, I did pay glowing tributes to Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memories, against whom this barracks is named, for his invaluable contributions towards the development of the Nigerian Army. Contributions such as this can never go unrecognized, and I therefore call on all well meaning Nigerians who have the opportunity to impact positively on any facet of the Nigerian society to forge ahead without any inhibitions.

Your Excellencies, Senior Officers, Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to point out here that besides the cost consideration in its conception and execution, this project has also afforded our Engineer officers and soldiers the opportunity to showcase their innate capacities in the renewed determination by the Nigerian Army to render useful services to the civil society, particularly in terms of road construction and other civil engineering works as a way of actualizing part of my vision of attaining excellent civil-military relations.  Today, with the standard of road they have constructed here, the bridge, the buildings and the infrastructural facilities, I feel convinced that I can stand tall and present them for the execution of such projects in any part of the country.

May I, on this note, on behalf of the officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army, register my most profound gratitude to the Acting President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCON, distinguished members of the National Assembly, Honourable Ministers of Defence, and other public functionaries, for their enormous support and commitment to the welfare of the Nigerian Army personnel. It is worth mentioning that the successful execution of this project is a testimony of the support and goodwill we have enjoyed from you. My appreciation also goes to my Principal Staff Officers and personnel of Nigerian Army Special Projects outfit for working selflessly to make our vision a reality.

I wish to enjoin, in particular, the prospective maiden occupant of this barracks to reciprocate this gesture first, by making the best use of the facilities at their disposal through the best maintenance practices.  Secondly as the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is also expected.  The best way to reciprocate this gesture is through hard work and dedication, and above all, loyalty and strict adherence to your constitutional responsibilities.

Let me, on behalf of the entire officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army, reaffirm our unalloyed loyalty and commitment to our constitutional responsibilities.  May I also seize this opportunity to reassure fellow Nigerians that the Nigerian Army remains the one indivisible highly professional army that has been known all over the world.

Once again, I welcome you, Mr Acting President, distinguished members of the National Assembly, honourable ministers, other special guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, to this epoch-making event. I thank you all for being part of it. I wish you a very happy stay as we proceed with the rest of the ceremony.

Thank you and God bless!