2023 Elections: Naval Chief tasks personnel on neutrality

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Awwal Gambo, has urged naval personnel to maintain neutrality and be apolitical during and after the forthcoming general election.

Gambo said this during the inauguration of a Naval Barracks on Monday in Makurdi.

“I want to remind you all that political activities in the country for the forthcoming general elections have reached the climax.

“I urge you all to maintain neutrality and be apolitical. We must also be guided by the rules of engagement and standard operating procedures.

“Also, we must take into cognizance the safety precautions and code of conduct for the armed forces, as we support the Nigeria Police Force in aid to civil authority for a successful conduct of the elections,” he said.

Gambo said that the navy was cognizant of the significance of the barracks for personnel, as it created the essential ambience to reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps, amongst others.

He said the impact of modest barracks, with necessary amenities for aesthetic of such restricted area, cannot be quantified, as it was adjudged a veritable tool for motivation and morale booster for operational efficiency.

“It is in this regard that the Nigerian navy has continued to prioritise infrastructural development in the hierarchy of its preferences.

“The barracks was another significant milestone amongst many initiatives in the comprehensive transformation plan articulated for the personnel’s welfare toward effective discharge of the Nigerian navy’s constitutional mandate,” he said.

Also, the Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Training Command, Rear Admiral Monday Unurhiere, stated that the barracks was of immense value for the well-being of the naval personnel and their operational effectiveness.

Unurhiere appreciated the chief of naval staff for not only envisioning and making the project real, but for his unwavering support to the Naval Training Command and the Nigerian Navy Provost and Regulating School, Makurdi.

“Following the relocation of the Nigerian Navy Provost and Regulating School from Lagos to Makurdi in 2010, the personnel were accommodated in rented quarters across five different locations within Makurdi.

“However, with the increasing scale of training in the school, these facilities turned out to be inadequate and coordination across the dispersed locations became more challenging.

“In keeping with his pledge to prioritise personnel’s welfare and training, the Naval Chief, in July 2021, endorsed the Nigerian Navy barracks, Makurdi.

“It is noteworthy to mention that as anticipated, our personnel’s morale has improved since the completion of this project,” Unurhiere said.

Chairman, AT and S Nigeria Limited, Mr Julius Atorough, said that a well-settled navy within Benue would take its rightful place at the pinnacle of the security architecture of the state.

N.O