No fewer than 1,700 personnel have benefitted from the Chief of Army Staff Empowerment Loan Scheme.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, made the disclosure in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
Lagbaja, who spoke at the 2024 combined second and third quarters conference of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday, said the welfare schemes for military personnel and their families had been reinvigorated under his watch.
He said: “The Chief of Army Staff Empowerment Loan Scheme, which came on stream in April, has already benefitted no fever than 1,700 personnel.
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“The scheme is already a huge success.
“We have a waiting list of about 3,000 personnel, which we have to service.”
The COAS said that the scheme had provided military personnel a platform to avoid the high interest rates charged by financial institutions to access loans.
Lagbaja stated that the proactive engagement approach of the army had reduced militancy, pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and illegal oil refining in the Niger Delta Region.
He said: “Our operations in the various theatres have continued to degrade the country’s adversaries with telling consequences on terrorists and other criminal groups.
“We have not spared any effort to take the fight to their enclaves wherever they exist.”
He said that the army had acquired combat enablers such as mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, rifles, and ammunition to strengthen its operations across the country.
He said: “These acquisitions will undoubtedly enhance the effectiveness of troops across the various theatres.
“It will help to firm up the nation’s path to a secure and economically viable environment.”
Lagbaja expressed the commitment of the army to partner other security agencies to tackle security challenges across the country.
Also speaking, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State said that the establishment of the Nigerian Army, 2 Brigade Headquarters in the state had contributed hugely to peace and security in the state.
Eno said: “This military facility has also created a good working relationship between the army and my administration.
“We shall continue to maintain this relationship.
“Security is a key requirement for national development.
“The army has played a key role in achieving the most needed security in this country.”
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