On Monday, January 6, 2023, a small team from the Directorate of Veterans Affairs, Department of Army Administration, led by Colonel VC Ibeh, began the year First Quarter 2023 Assessment visit to the 7 Division Nigerian Army and Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), in order to evaluate and assess the current conditions of the Maimalari Cantonment Cemetery, with a view to improving them in order to comply with international best practices and to monitor compliance with SOPs.
The delegation started their visit by paying a courtesy call on Major General Waidi Shaibu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 7th Division and Commander of Sector One of Operation Hadin Kai, at the Headquarters 7th Division Complex in Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.
The visit was in accordance with the COAS’s goal of enhancing the welfare and general management of Nigerian Army troops, Colonel Ibeh said in remarks at the ceremony. In order to bring Nigerian Army Cemeteries around the nation up to par with international standards, he enthusiastically stated that the visit’s goal was to do so. He continued, “The visit was also to evaluate the welfare and management of Nigerian Army veterans in Borno State.”
The team leader continued by mentioning the necessity to renovate all cemeteries to a respectable standard and highlighting how important it was to do so because they serve as the ultimate resting place for all soldiers who have given their lives in defense of our country’s territorial integrity.
While praising the Division for its concerted efforts to raise the caliber of the Cemetery in particular and the Cantonment as a whole, the team leader expressed satisfaction over the enormous infrastructural development in the Cantonment and in the cemetery that serves both the Division and the Theatre. He then expressed his gratitude to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) for the warm welcome given to him and his team and urged him to continue the good work.
The GOC made clear in his remarks that he was determined to provide the team with all the assistance they would need to complete their assignment. As the final resting place for our brave soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending our beloved country, he also emphasized the Division’s commitment to maintaining a cemetery that is appropriate.
Further, the GOC requested that the team perform a comprehensive evaluation of the cemetery and submit a thorough report and suggestion to AHQ regarding the need to renovate and restructure the cemetery in accordance with international best practices.
Members of the AHQ team, the Chief of Staff for the Seventh Division, Brig. Gen. OM Oyekola, and Principal Staff Officers from the Division were among those in attendance.
