Nigerian Navy boosts officers’ welfare with provision of accommodation

Chinazor Megbolu

In a bid to boost morale and professionalism in the force, the Nigerian Navy (NN) has said provision of decent accommodation for personnel will make such achievable.

In a statement issued at the weekend and obtained from its website, the NN disclosed it will continue to provide decent and comfortable accommodation for its personnel towards enhancing their professional efficiency.

The Commandant of the Nigeria Navy School of Armament Technology, Kachia, (NNSAT), Rear Admiral Tanko Pani while speaking during the inauguration of some projects at the School, noted that the projects were constructed by the Naval Headquarters and the school respectively.

“It is my desire that more projects will be initiated and completed to actualize the master plan of the school,’’ he said.

Pani pointed out that since the inauguration of the school’s permanent site on May 9, 2019, the Naval Headquarters has made deliberate efforts to provide more facilities.

“The first phase of accommodation for essential staff has been completed.

“Similarly, the Nigerian Navy School of Armament Technology has taken a cue from the Naval Headquarters and has executed over 30 different projects, some of which shall be commissioned today.

“It is pertinent to state that the commissioning of these facilities will alleviate the current accommodation challenges faced by personnel of the School as well as moderate the activities of trainees through effective supervision and monitoring.

“Also, the inauguration of the sports complex and solar street lights among others will provide recreational facilities, conducive working environment and enhanced security for staff and trainees of the school,’’ Pani said.

He, however, maintained that the Nigerian Navy transformation plan had personnel welfare as one of its key performance indicators and deliverable.

According to him; “I wish to place on record the remarkable contributions made by the Nigerian Navy School of Armament Technology in support of internal security operations in Kaduna state and also the training of personnel to support various operations within and outside the country.

“In the same vein, the School has engaged in civil-military cooperation by embarking on several corporate social responsibility initiatives within Kachia and surrounding under our non-kinetic lines of operation.’’

He went further to posit that the school was building worship centres for Christian and Muslim personnel.

Pani added that the facilities would further improve the welfare of personnel and impact positively on their overall productivity.

“The Nigerian Navy, therefore, expects more dedication to service from you,’’ Pani said.

He averred that the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) had urged the end-users of the facilities to take ownership, put them in good use and take proper care of them as the amount of resources used in establishing them were at the expense of other competing demands.

According to him; “this was done to ensure that befitting facilities are put in place for your comfort and optimal performance.”

Pani commended the support of the CNS for committing scarce resources to make the movement of the school to the permanent site a reality.

“I wish to start by saying that the Nigerian Navy is sensitive to the happenings globally and pray that the Almighty God heals our land by bringing an end to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Pani said.