The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has commissioned a 60-unit Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers (AHOOAS) Housing Estate and a Post Service Housing Development Limited (PHDL) Shopping Complex at Akopo, Ibadan, in furtherance of efforts to improve the welfare and post-service security of Nigerian Army personnel.
At the commissioning ceremony, Lieutenant General Shaibu said the project reflects the Nigerian Army’s commitment to its Soldier First policy, noting that decent and affordable housing remains fundamental to morale, operational efficiency and long-term stability for soldiers and their families.
He explained that the AHOOAS initiative was conceived to enable soldiers to own homes in locations of their choice and retire with dignity. The COAS recalled that the pilot phase of the scheme at Idu, Abuja, delivered over 400 housing units, which are currently occupied, adding that the success of the project informed its expansion to other locations including Ibadan, Benin, Jos and Akwa Ibom.
According to him, plans are also underway to extend the housing programme to Army Warrant Officers as part of a broader welfare reform agenda.
Lieutenant General Shaibu commended the Oyo State Government for its consistent support to the Nigerian Army and appreciated traditional institutions in the state for fostering peace and cooperation. He also praised PHDL for its professionalism in project execution and acknowledged Family Homes Funds Limited for partnering with the Army to provide 50 housing units for widows of fallen soldiers.
The COAS urged more state governments to support the AHOOAS scheme through land allocation, stressing that affordable housing remains a strategic component of the Nigerian Army’s transformation drive in line with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PHDL, Major General Isiah Alison, said the Ibadan estate comprises 60 housing units, including 30 two-bedroom houses for Non-Commissioned Officers and 30 three-bedroom houses for Senior Non-Commissioned Officers.
He disclosed that five per cent of the houses were allocated at no cost to soldiers who sustained injuries in the line of duty, while 70 per cent of the units were sold at heavily subsidised rates. He added that houses built at costs of up to ₦30 million were made available to soldiers for as low as ₦7.5 million.
Major General Alison noted that similar housing estates and shopping complexes are being developed in other parts of the country to support small-scale businesses and enhance the economic wellbeing of soldiers’ families.
