President Muhammadu Buhari has said the newly acquired estate by the Defence Intelligence Agency will definitely enhance productivity and coordination of activities for the staff of the Agency in view of the increasing numbers of personnel to face new challenges and responsibilities.
"The acquisition of this accommodation is a great leap forward, but the envisaged benefits would be aborted without diligent maintenance."
The President who was a special guest of Honour said this on Wednesday 28th December 2022 while commissioning the Defence Intelligence Agency's Newly Acquired Estate which contained 16 units of 3-bedroom terrace buildings with boys’ quarters and 48 units of 3-bedroom flats all in suite at Idu Karimo, Abuja.
President Buhari while appreciating the efforts of the DIA towards meeting his administration’s housing policy, which is set to provide housing for all Nigerians, said the significance of commissioning the estate can be better understood by making the connection between shelter and productivity. This underpins the administration’s vision for provision of shelter to improve performance as well as comfort for workers, families and communities.
He said the commissioning ceremony further avails another opportunity to reaffirm his confidence in the competence, commitment and achievements of the Defence Intelligence Agency’s giant strides achieved across the nation.
He charged them on high standard of the facility to help realize the value of the enormous resources committed to its acquisition, adding that the Agency’s investment in staff accommodation complements his vision of achieving improved national security.
President Buhari urged them to remain apolitical and desist from behaviour that could bring disrepute to the Agency and our country by compromising the democratic process as Security Agencies would be engaged with various support and assistance in the elections, particularly with distribution and monitoring of classified materials and other logistics.
In his word, the Chief of Defence Intelligence CDI, Major General Samuel Adebayo thanked President Buhari for the legacy project in line with his directive to ensure the DIA officers and men discharge their duties in a serene and secure environment.
General Adebayo thanked President Buhari for his astute leadership and direction that has spurred them to discharge their job professionally with the zeal to do more.
"You charged us to spare no efforts in support of the AFN with actionable intelligence toward a secured Nigeria. Permit me, Your Excellency to use this opportunity to report back that we have continued to carry out DIA’s mandates conscientiously with positive outcomes.
"We prioritized technical and communication aspects of intelligence in support of the Armed Forces operations and activities within and outside the country. We have also successfully dominated the threat environment with a combination of special intelligence operations and non-kinetic activities.
"These operations have recorded degrees of success that have continued to deny the enemies of state cohesion and capabilities to withstand the fighting forces. As we continue to review our activities in the coming Year 2023, the Agency intends to refocus its tactical and technical intelligence drive on all the frontiers to sustain the gains.
"So far, the result across all theatres has been significantly rewarding. On human capacity development, Your Excellency, we have intensified specialized training of staff both locally and abroad in different fields of intelligence needs, while the Defence Intelligence College has reviewed its curriculum to accommodate new developments in the intelligence field.
"The need to create a more conducive environment for staff at the defence sections and here in Nigeria has been on the front burner. Consequently, the DIA HQ Office Complex is currently being completed to create room for better working conditions for the staff", he said.
Maj Grn Adebayo added that the extension of the building was flagged off by the Honourable Minister of Defence during the 2022 DIA Annual Conference in November 2022.
Dignitaries at the commissioning were; President Buhari, Minister of Defence Major General Bashir Magashi, Former Chief of Army Staff, Ambassador Lt General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, FCT Minister Mohammed Bello, Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Oladayo Amao and Senior Principal Officers.
