The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Olufemi Oluyede, has raised serious concerns over the Nigerian Army’s inability to provide adequate housing for both its current and incoming personnel. Speaking during a meeting with the Senate Committee on the Army in Abuja on Thursday, the Army Chief revealed that the military is expecting to absorb about 13,000 new personnel this year but lacks the necessary resources to accommodate them.
General Oluyede explained that the challenge of inadequate housing is not limited to new recruits alone. He stated that a significant number of already-serving soldiers remain without official accommodation, a situation that continues to worsen due to limited funding and a growing military force.
“As we speak, the army is still challenged in terms of operational efficiency. This year alone, we are expecting about 13,000 new personnel, but there are no corresponding resources to provide accommodation for them,” Oluyede said.
The Army Chief emphasized the seriousness of the issue, noting that accommodation shortages directly affect the morale, welfare, and operational effectiveness of personnel. He pointed out that despite ongoing efforts to improve operational readiness in the fight against insecurity, the internal structure and welfare of the Army must also be adequately addressed.
“We still have soldiers not being accommodated, and that number will continue to grow,” he warned.
Oluyede used the opportunity to appeal to lawmakers to consider creating special funding mechanisms outside of the traditional budget system to address the accommodation crisis. He said that the current envelope budgeting system—where agencies are given fixed allocations regardless of emerging needs—is grossly insufficient for the Army’s expanding operational and personnel demands.
He also raised a broader security concern, noting that the country’s military preparedness should not be focused solely on internal security threats, but also on the possibility of external aggression.
“We are not only looking at maybe insecurity within, but what if someday we are challenged from outside?” the COAS asked. “So, I want to pray that you please look at that, and at the same time, look at how we can get special funds to provide accommodation for our soldiers. It’s very critical.”
In response, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, acknowledged the severity of the challenges facing the Nigerian Army. He agreed that the envelope budgeting approach is no longer adequate to meet the increasing needs of the military and promised that the committee would continue to push for better funding.
“The Nigerian Army and Armed Forces should be removed from the envelope budgeting system so they have more funds to carry out their mandate,” Yar’Adua stated. “We’ve seen the need during our oversight visits.”
He pledged the committee’s continued support and said efforts would be made to collaborate with the executive arm of government to ensure more robust and flexible funding for the Army.
“We want to assure the Chief of Army Staff of our continued support and collaboration with the executive to ensure the Army is adequately funded,” the senator added.
The accommodation crisis adds to a series of logistical and welfare challenges confronting the Nigerian Army amid its ongoing operations across the country. The Army has been heavily engaged in tackling insurgency in the North East, banditry in the North West, and other forms of violent crime in various regions.
Military analysts have long argued that housing, medical care, and family support systems are essential to maintaining a professional and motivated force. The absence of such fundamental welfare provisions, they warn, could reduce the Army’s operational effectiveness and affect troop retention.
As the Nigerian military continues to expand its recruitment and deployment footprint in response to rising security demands, attention is now shifting to whether the government will heed the Army Chief’s call for dedicated funding interventions.
Stakeholders have called on the federal government to act swiftly, warning that without immediate investment in infrastructure and welfare, the growing personnel numbers may overwhelm the already-stretched resources of the Nigerian Army.
