Some soldiers fighting insurgency are lobbying to be redeployed from the area due to poor welfare, House of Representatives Committee chairman on Defence, Miriam Odinaka Ohuoha, has said.
She said this on Monday at a public hearing on a bill to establish a the Armed Forces Special Trust Fund organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Defence.
The bill seeks alternative sources of funding for the Armed Forces to improve the software, hardware and training.
“Does the trust fund take care of the welfare of men and officers of the Armed Force? I am aware that in most cases, people in the front line are begging to be redeployed,” Ohuoha said.
“As a representative of the people, I have a countless number of my constituents who call and write to me and say they have been posted to so and so place and have been there for long and that I should use my good office to apply for them to be redeployed.
“It is not just about the zeal to serve your country. But the fear of what happens to your family when you die even in the line of duty. How can we tinker with the bill to at least accommodate the welfare of these people.”
The Director of Production, Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal M. A. Yakubu, said Nigeria $2 billion (about N826 billion) annually to fund its Armed Forces to effectively combat the daunting challenges of insecurity.