The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, on Tuesday charged managers of Army Officers’ Messes and Suites nationwide to embrace world-class management standards to ensure sustainability, efficiency and improved service delivery.
Shaibu, represented by the Chief of Logistics, Maj.-Gen. Adekunle Adeyinka, gave the charge at the opening of the Army Headquarters Department of Special Services and Programmes Annual Stakeholders’ Conference 2025 in Abuja.
He said the conference provided a critical platform for capacity building, knowledge sharing and the fine-tuning of management skills in line with global best practices.
The COAS stressed that the army’s hospitality establishments remained strategic welfare investments that must be professionally managed for long-term viability.
According to him, Army Officers’ Messes and Suites currently operate in eight locations across the country, offering subsidised accommodation, recreation and entertainment in safe and serene environments for officers, soldiers and other members of the Armed Forces.
“The recent inauguration of the Nigerian Army Conference Centre and Suites, Abuja, has further raised service standards, while the Army Officers’ Mess and Suites, Ibadan, scheduled to commence operations soon, would expand the Army’s hospitality footprint,” he said.
Shaibu said the conference theme, “Conforming to World-Class Management Standards for Sustainable Nigerian Army Hospitality Businesses,” aligned with his command philosophy of transforming the Nigerian Army into a more professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient force.
He urged participants to internalise the pillars of that philosophy and reflect them in the administration and management of Army hospitality establishments.
Shaibu added that the lectures lined up for the conference were deliberately designed to strengthen leadership, operational efficiency and customer service.
He also reaffirmed the loyalty of officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and declared the conference open.
Earlier, the Chief of Special Services and Programmes (Army), Maj.-Gen. Aminu Garba, said the Nigerian Army was repositioning its Officers’ Messes and Suites to operate as competitive, profitable and sustainable hospitality businesses.
Garba described the Messes and Suites as critical welfare investments established to provide quality and subsidised accommodation for Nigerian Army personnel and other members of the Armed Forces, particularly when on transit.
He said the Army had continued to upgrade existing facilities and expand their presence to major cities, adding that the Department successfully held its third-quarter stakeholders’ meeting in September 2025 to strengthen collaboration among management teams, professionals and industry stakeholders.
According to him, management quality, service delivery and customer retention have improved significantly across the facilities since the last quarterly engagement.
Garba expressed optimism that profitability would further increase as newly completed projects become fully operational, abandoned facilities are revived and proposed initiatives, including the Command View Golfing Resort, come on stream.
He commended industry professionals and regulators for partnering with the Nigerian Army and expressed confidence that deliberations at the conference would translate into improved efficiency and service delivery across all Army Officers’ Messes and Suites.