The Nigerian Navy on Saturday commissioned a newly constructed and fully furnished five-bedroom lodge with living room for National Youth Service Corps members and an upgraded dispensary at Malam Sidi in Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The projects were executed under the Nigerian Navy’s Civil-Military Quick Intervention Projects in honour of Rear Admiral Sulaiman Abdullahi.
Representing the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, at the commissioning on Friday, the Director of Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Rear Admiral Yakubu Dahiru, said the Nigerian Navy recognised community development as an important component of its civil-military relations.
Dahiru said the Civil-Military Quick Intervention initiative was designed to strengthen the relationship between the Navy, government and host communities through projects that directly addressed local needs.
He said, “The Nigerian Navy recognises the importance of community development through meaningful projects.
“The Civil-Military Quick Intervention initiative was designed to strengthen bonds and foster unity between the Nigerian Navy, government and the public for national development.”
The Navy representative commended Rear Admiral Abdullahi for facilitating the projects and successfully translating the vision of the Chief of Naval Staff into tangible interventions for the people of Malam Sidi.
Speaking earlier, the project facilitator, Rear Admiral Sulaiman Abdullahi, thanked the Chief of Naval Staff for giving him the opportunity to facilitate the projects in his community.
Abdullahi said the five-bedroom NYSC lodge was inspired by the Gombe State Deputy Governor, Manassah Jatau, and expressed confidence that the facility would provide decent and comfortable accommodation for corps members posted to the area for their one-year national service.
He said the renovated and upgraded dispensary, formerly used as an Area Health Office inherited from the colonial era, was designed to improve access to healthcare services for residents of Malam Sidi and surrounding communities.
According to him, “The newly constructed and fully furnished five-bedroom Corps Members’ Lodge was inspired by the Gombe State Deputy Governor. We are confident that it will provide comfortable accommodation for NYSC members posted to the area.”
On the dispensary, he said, “The facility was formerly an Area Health Office inherited from the colonial period. It has now been renovated and upgraded to provide healthcare services to the people of Malam Sidi.”
The Rear Admiral urged residents to take ownership of the projects, protect the facilities and ensure that they were properly maintained for the benefit of present and future generations.
He also appreciated the Gombe State Government, the Chairman of Kwami Local Government Area and the people of Malam Sidi for their support during the execution of the projects.
Commissioning the projects on behalf of the Chief of Naval Staff, Jatau commended the Nigerian Navy and the facilitator for bringing the intervention to the community.
Jatau said the projects demonstrated the impact that collaboration between the military, government and communities could have on grassroots development.
He also commended the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, for ensuring the successful implementation of the projects, describing the interventions as having “significant impact on humanity.”
The deputy governor said the projects aligned with the state government’s commitment to improving the security, healthcare and general welfare of residents since the administration assumed office in 2019.
He noted that other Nigerian Navy Civil-Military Quick Intervention Projects had been implemented in different parts of the state, including a health facility and solar-powered borehole at Wuro Dole; a solar-powered borehole at Dungaje Mona in Balanga Local Government Area; three solar-powered boreholes at Jeka da Fari; as well as the newly commissioned NYSC lodge and dispensary at Malam Sidi.
Jatau said the interventions were complementing the state government’s efforts to improve living conditions and provide essential services to communities.
“Gombe State has been doing the best it can on the issue of security. Sincerely, the news of the proposed establishment of the 27 Armoured Brigade and its subordinate units in Gombe State, including the 271 Tank Battalion, Bajoga, and 272 for Kaltungo, is gladdening to us in Gombe.
“For this, the Governor, the government and the good residents of Gombe State remain grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. This is a challenge for us to own up this effort,” he said.
The deputy governor stressed that healthcare facilities should serve all residents irrespective of social status, ethnicity, race or religion.
He said, “Healthcare facilities are not meant to serve the host communities alone. They should benefit everyone irrespective of social status, ethnicity, race or religion.”
Jatau also called on the people of Malam Sidi to protect the facilities and ensure their proper maintenance, saying the NYSC lodge would provide a conducive environment for corps members serving in the community.
In a goodwill message on behalf of the facilitator’s family, retired Commissioner of Police Abdullahi Yerima described the projects as an honour to the family and the people of Kwami Local Government Area.
Yerima appealed to the Chief of Naval Staff to consider establishing a Nigerian Navy secondary school in the area.
He said the proposed institution could take advantage of the Malam Sidi River, located about 10 kilometres from the town, similar to the Nigerian Navy’s intervention in Misau, Bauchi State.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Kwami Local Government Area, the Senior District Head of Kwami, Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi, and a Board Member of the Malam Sidi Progressive Association, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad, commended the Nigerian Navy and Rear Admiral Abdullahi for facilitating projects of such magnitude in the community.
They described the interventions as important contributions to the development and welfare of the people.
Shortly after the commissioning, the deputy governor inspected the two facilities and participated in a symbolic tree-planting exercise.
Awards were also presented to Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, the deputy governor and other prominent members of the community in recognition of their contributions and support to development in the area.