Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has inaugurated a 70,000 litre, solar-powered water project in Alesi, in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River, in a bid to foster a civil-military relationship in the nation.
The inauguration which was carried out on Monday in Alesi community was a Special Intervention Civil-Military Cooperation Project, initiated by the COAS and implemented by Maj. Gen Hilary Nzan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the strategic initiative was to support senior military officers to foster improved relationships between the army and communities by implementing projects that meet the people’s basic needs.
NAN also reports that the Nigerian Army had earlier provided solar-powered street lights in Alesi community.
Represented by Maj. Gen. Hassan Dada, General Officer Commanding 82 Division Nigerian Army, Enugu, the COAS said the project in Alesi was designed to complement the existing infrastructures provided by the government and other philanthropists.
According to him the water project will provide a sustainable source of clean water to the people of Alesi and environs and improve their health, sanitation and overall quality of life.
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“The Nigerian Army has executed a number of these projects across the country such as the construction and rehabilitation of hospitals, schools and laboratories, construction of roads community town halls, boreholes among others.
“The Nigerian army under my watch will sustain this initiative as we strive to combat insecurity through our non-kinetic approach and contribute to nation-building,” Lagbaja said.
On his part, Nzan who is the Commander of Four Special Forces Command, Doma, Nasarawa and the executor of the project in Alesi, said the quick impact intervention aimed at fostering peace, security and cooperation between the army and Alesi community.
He said the selection of a water Project was in consultation with the elders and youth of the community after he identified the need for clean and potable water in his community.
He urged members of the community who were direct beneficiaries of the project to maintain and ensure that the project served with optimal benefits.
Similarly, Dr Odigha Odigha, a Community Leader in Alesi who spoke on behalf of the community said the interventions of the Nigerian Army had direct relevance to the needs of their community.
Odigha maintained that the project was a huge relief to the community and would help in the reduction of waterborne diseases like cholera which was a nationwide concern and also take away the burden of long treks to the stream.
He commended the Nigerian Army noting that its visionary interventions in Alesi had enhanced the civil-military relationship between the people of Alesi and the army.
Other events that took place during the inauguration ceremony were cultural performances and the conferment of a traditional title on the COAS as, “The Leader of People.”
The industrial solar-powered water project with reticulated services was executed in three locations in Alesi, while two had 15,000 litres capacity each, the third stanchion had 40,000 litres capacity.