The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, says payment of the outstanding N18.4 billion Group Life Assurance claims to families of late Nigerian Army personnel will commence soon.
Lagbaja made the disclosure during the closing ceremony of the Second Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) 2023 Convention on Thursday in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convention which started on Monday had as its theme “Leveraging Sound Administration for Highly Motivated Force and Operational Effficiency in the Nigerian Army”.
The COAS said President Bola Tinubu has given approval to the fund’s payment while the National Assembly has also appropriated fund for it.
”The money will soon be paid to the families of the departed personnel, who died in the line of duty,” he said.
Lagbaja also disclosed that the Nigerian Army had made several interventions for the benefit of its personnel and members of their families.
”This is in the force’s health facilities, such as the construction and renovation of hospitals in Lagos and Kaduna, as well as education facilities and construction of befitting houses, among others.
“These are other several welfare efforts, and this is because my focus is to keep the morale of our troops high as they discharge their constitutional duties,” he said.
The COAS added that motivation the Army’s troops would help them to be able to confront all forms of security challenges facing Nigeria as a nation.
He said the training of RSMs was one of his programmes to promote professionalism in the Nigerian Army.
Lagbaja said the RSMs are major stakeholders of Nigerian Army’s administrative and command arrangement.
He added that they are also the mouthpiece for younger ones on both professional, personal and family welfare issues.
Lagbaja then urged the officers to live up to the rank and status of their appointment by championing discipline and fair dispensation of justice across the Army.
Earlier, Nigerian Army’s Chief of Administration, Maj.-Gen. Jimmy Akpor, said the training no doubt has enhanced the capacity of RSMs.
”This will help them to be able to discharge their role effectively as the interface between the officers and soldiers,” he said.
Akpor assured the COAS that he (Lagbaja) would begin to witness the positive effect of the training as soon as the participants return to their various formations and units.
He urged the participants to ensure to pass the knowledge gained to the younger ones as they progress in their career, as well as the tradition, culture and ethics of the Nigerian Army.(NAN)