Mass Resignation In Army: Lawmakers Seek Improved Welfare For Soldiers

The House of Representatives has called for improved welfare for
troops and effective delivery of welfare packages across the
ranks.

This was the position of the lawmakers during plenary on Tuesday
at the lower chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.

They made the call following the consideration of the findings
and recommendations of a report of the House Committee on Army.

A total of 356 troops of the Nigerian Army were reported to have
resigned from the service in July 2020, a development that sparked
controversy from various quarters.

The soldiers were said to have tendered their resignations at
the time because they had lost interest in the job due to poor
welfare and claims that the army was not well equipped to battle
insurgents.

This caught the attention of the lawmakers who deliberated on
the matter and mandated the House Committee on Army to carry out a
thorough investigation on July 14, 2020.

Seven months after the directive, the committee submitted its
report after concluding its investigation into the mass resignation
of the soldiers.

The Way To Go
While presenting the report of the committee, the Chairman of the
committee, Abdulrazak Namdas, stated that it was not new for such
resignations to happen as it occurred almost annually in the
military.

He explained that the recommendations of the report were based
on the fact that the soldiers that resigned were mostly citing poor
welfare as being the main reason for wanting to leave the service
of the army.

The lawmaker stressed the need for the Nigerian government to
ensure military personnel were well motivated to defend the
nation’s territory and overcome security threats – home or
abroad.

Part of the recommendations of the report read, “That the
Nigerian Army should improve on the welfare of its personnel,
especially those in battlefields or other combat operations to
further make the soldiers more committed to their jobs and to the
nation at large.

“That there should be effective monitoring or follow up in the
delivery of the welfare packages in all the army formations to
ensure that they reach out to all the beneficiaries (the soldiers)
in a fair and equitable manner.

“That the army should continuously embark on orientation of
soldiers – both old and new – about the reality of their jobs and
the need to be committed to their country. This will reduce the
number of soldiers leaving the army due to loss of interest.”

According to the report, the number of disengagements is far
lower than the enlistment in the army in the last five years.

It stated that about 6,752 personnel were disengaged and 25,655
were enlisted, adding that not all the soldiers who voluntarily
resigned were actively involved in combat operations.

The House of Representatives has called for improved welfare for
troops and effective delivery of welfare packages across the
ranks.

This was the position of the lawmakers during plenary on Tuesday
at the lower chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.

They made the call following the consideration of the findings
and recommendations of a report of the House Committee on Army.

A total of 356 troops of the Nigerian Army were reported to have
resigned from the service in July 2020, a development that sparked
controversy from various quarters.

The soldiers were said to have tendered their resignations at
the time because they had lost interest in the job due to poor
welfare and claims that the army was not well equipped to battle
insurgents.

This caught the attention of the lawmakers who deliberated on
the matter and mandated the House Committee on Army to carry out a
thorough investigation on July 14, 2020.

Seven months after the directive, the committee submitted its
report after concluding its investigation into the mass resignation
of the soldiers.

The Way To Go
While presenting the report of the committee, the Chairman of the
committee, Abdulrazak Namdas, stated that it was not new for such
resignations to happen as it occurred almost annually in the
military.

He explained that the recommendations of the report were based
on the fact that the soldiers that resigned were mostly citing poor
welfare as being the main reason for wanting to leave the service
of the army.

The lawmaker stressed the need for the Nigerian government to
ensure military personnel were well motivated to defend the
nation’s territory and overcome security threats – home or
abroad.

Part of the recommendations of the report read, “That the
Nigerian Army should improve on the welfare of its personnel,
especially those in battlefields or other combat operations to
further make the soldiers more committed to their jobs and to the
nation at large.

“That there should be effective monitoring or follow up in the
delivery of the welfare packages in all the army formations to
ensure that they reach out to all the beneficiaries (the soldiers)
in a fair and equitable manner.

“That the army should continuously embark on orientation of
soldiers – both old and new – about the reality of their jobs and
the need to be committed to their country. This will reduce the
number of soldiers leaving the army due to loss of interest.”

According to the report, the number of disengagements is far
lower than the enlistment in the army in the last five years.

It stated that about 6,752 personnel were disengaged and 25,655
were enlisted, adding that not all the soldiers who voluntarily
resigned were actively involved in combat operations.