The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to infrastructural development and personnel welfare, stressing that the ongoing modernization of the force must include investments in the well-being of troops and their families, both during service and after retirement.
Lieutenant General Shaibu made this known on Friday, November 13, 2026, while commissioning 120 newly completed three-bedroom housing units under Phase 2 of the Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers (AHOOAS) in Idu, Abuja. This brings the total number of housing units delivered under the scheme nationwide to 700.
The COAS emphasized that the Army’s infrastructural drive encompasses modern barracks, healthcare facilities, and post-service housing schemes designed to boost morale and operational effectiveness. He noted that the transformation agenda balances combat readiness with personnel welfare under his “Soldier-First Culture,” adding that 5 percent of the housing units have been reserved for personnel wounded in action.
Highlighting the rollout of the AHOOAS program, General Shaibu noted that the initiative has delivered 400 units in Abuja (December 2024), 60 in Ibadan (December 2025), 80 in Jos (June 2026), and 40 in Benin City (November 6, 2026), alongside the latest 120 units in Idu. He commended the Post-Service Housing Development Limited (PHDL), project partners, and past Army leaders—particularly the late Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja and current Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede—for their contributions.
General Shaibu expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the expansion and modernization of the Nigerian Army, assuring that the service will translate government investments into operational capability and sustainable national security.
Earlier, the Managing Director of PHDL, Major General Kevin Ukandu, announced that Phase 3 of the Idu housing project is already underway and slated for completion in the first quarter of 2027. He noted that the estate is equipped with a 2.5-kilometer asphalted road, drainage, a 500KVA transformer, solar-powered streetlights, and a water reticulation system.
