On June 15, 2023, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, officially opened a water project funded by the Nigerian Army that will provide communities in the Kwame Local Government Area of Gombe State with reliable water supply. The project is located in the town of Gadam in Kwami Local Government Area.
The COAS commissioned the water project while noting that the NA recently undertook elaborate Quick Impact Projects in a number of localities with the aim of giving the people the necessary assistance and to further improve the Army’s relationship with the people. He added that the effort was a component of the Chief of Army Staff’s Special Intervention Civil-Military Cooperation project, which aims to supplement the state’s existing foundational services, facilities, and infrastructure.
The COAS, who was represented at the ceremony by Major General Mohammed Sani Ahmed, Commander of the Armour Corps, disclosed that Major General Sani Mohammed and the residents of Gadam were completely responsible for the renovation of the water project. He observed the careful work being done and expressed gratitude to the people for their participation. The COAS exhorted the populace once more to zealously watch, safeguard, and make good use of the project.
The water project’s executor, Major General Hassan Gadam Tafida, stated earlier in his welcome speech that it has a 160 000 cubic liter capacity and can supply water to Gadam and nearby areas using both surface and overhead tanks. He pointed out that the tools and materials were of the highest caliber and state-of-the-art design.
General Tafida expressed his gratitude to the Chief of Army Staff for considering his community to be deserving of the initiatives. He said that the water project would always be remembered by the residents of the local government and Gombe state as a whole.
The NA has over the years benefited from a mutually beneficial relationship with the people of Gombe state, according to the Chief of Civil Military Affairs, who was present at the event in person as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, NA and Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim. Many of the state’s sons and daughters, he claimed, had contributed to the NA’s growth, and he praised the NA for its laudable efforts to ensure that it provides something back to the community with which it cooperates.
He claimed that in addition to his troops’ wellbeing, the chief of army staff also pays close attention to the communities in which the NA works.
The COAS was thanked for his generosity in giving portable water to the people of Gadam and the surrounding area by the Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Mr. Manasseh Daniel Jatau, Ph.D. He confirmed the Gombe state residents’ cooperation and support for the NA and made clear that the state is always ready to support Army operations. Additionally, he urged the residents of the state to keep aiding the security services in their efforts to drive out criminals from society.
The head of the Gadam Development Association and the emir of Gadam thanked the COAS for the massive water project and highlighted that by alleviating the pain of the people in their hunt for portable water, the COAS has given life to the people. They prayed for the NA and promised to keep supporting the security agencies to the fullest extent possible.
Senior military leaders from Army headquarters and theater command Operation HADIN KAI, as well as traditional chiefs and heads of security agencies, were present at the occasion. Dignitaries from the Gombe state government were also present.
