We need higher budgetary provision for Army – Hope Uzodimma

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has underlined the necessity of raising budgetary allocations to support not just the growth of Army Barracks but also the welfare of the military people who are currently serving, the Legion, their spouses, their orphans, and other dependents.

During the House of Representatives Committee on the Army’s oversight function in Imo State, the governor made the request during a courtesy visit to the Government House in Owerri on Monday.

“Sufficient funding is the answer,” Uzodimma said in pleading with the National Assembly to take into consideration providing the Army with the resources it needs to come out and protect the state.

He added that the welfare of the military should be of utmost priority to the Federal Government and National Assembly for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.

The governor welcomed the committee to Imo State and urged the Brigade Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze to seize the opportunity of the visit to show the members the problems facing the Army in the state in general and the command in particular.

READ ALSO: Imo professionals hail Uzodimma over plans for uninterrupted electricity supply
He expressed hope that the visit will bring reprieve to the myriad of challenges facing the Army and possibly, proffer solutions confronting them in Imo State.

Governor Uzodimma recalled that recently, the Army in Imo State and the South East were challenged by criminal elements who indulge in banditry, kidnapping, oil theft, and destruction of public and private investments, suggesting that it has become necessary to ask for the assistance of the Nigerian Army in Imo State and South East to deal with the aforementioned vices.

He recalled that recently, some military officers lost their lives to banditry, leaving behind orphans, widows, and family dependants, and emphasised that such persons need support and assistance from the federal and state governments.

To cushion the effect of the problems those families living in the barracks are having, the governor suggested that they need empowerment, power supply, means of transportation, and even skill acquisition to survive the vagaries of life they go through.

Earlier, Chairman of the Committee on Army, Abdullahi Mamudu, accompanied by other members, told the Governor that they were in the state on oversight function of the military formations and thanked the Governor for allowing them to visit him despite his tight schedule.