Army Chief pledges commitment to provide quality, affordable housing ownership for serving, retired soldiers

From Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has again reaffirmed his determination to deliver quality and affordable housing for personnel of the Nigerian Army through the Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers (AHOOAS).

The COAS, who made this at a media briefing in Abuja, said the gesture is aimed at ensuring that troops were well-motivated during service and adequately catered for in retirement.

Represented by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Post-Service Housing Development Limited (PHDL), Major General Isaiah Allison, the COAS, said the initiative aligns with the vision of the COAS’s philosophy to prioritised soldiers’ welfare as a core component of combat readiness and national security, adding that functional housing was central to that vision.

The managing director and chief executive said “Our flagship programme, the Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers (AHOAS), is a major step towards addressing post-service housing for officers and soldiers.

He said “A soldier who knows he is retiring into a home is a soldier who can focus on his duties with peace of mind,”.

According to him, the Nigerian army has so far delivered 400 housing units under the AHOAS scheme in Idu, Abuja, with keys handed over to beneficiaries, including a designated percentage allocated free to wounded-in-action soldiers.

He further stated that the scheme features two-bedroom flats priced at about N7.8 million and three-bedroom units at approximately N8.5 million.

“The cost is subsidized through a long-term mortgage arrangement allowing repayment over 15 to 25 years.

“This is part of a deliberate welfare strategy to ease the post-service transition for troops. Most soldiers enroll under the long-term mortgage plan, which allows deductions from their salaries over time,” he added.

Gen. Allison noted that more projects were underway across different country, adding that PHDL is working strictly under quality assurance protocols to prevent cases of substandard construction or building collapse.

“We are not just building houses; we are building confidence, stability, and security for our personnel and their families. Quality is not negotiable,” he stated.

The Acting Public Relations Officer of PHDL, Lieutenant Augustina Nkeonye, while noting the role of the media as a key stakeholder in ensuring that the public was properly informed about what the army was doing for its men and women, solicited for support and cooperation through accurate reporting and engagement.