President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the military and other security agencies to remain apolitical in their involvement in the provision security during the nation’s 2023 general elections.

Mr Buhari made the call at the inauguration of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Estate at Idu-Karmo on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that security agencies would be engaged with various support and assistance in the elections, particularly with distribution and monitoring of classified materials and other logistics.

These, he warned, must be done professionally and in accordance with Standing Operation Procedures.

“I therefore urge you to remain apolitical and desist from behaviour that could bring disrepute to the agency and our country by compromising democracy,” he said.

While commending the efforts of DIA in providing accommodation for its personnel, Mr Buhari said that the efforts could be better understood by making the connection between shelter and productivity.

This, he said, underpinned his administration’s vision for provision of shelter to improve performance as well as comfort for workers, families and communities.

“This commissioning ceremony further avails another opportunity to reaffirm my confidence in the competence, commitment and achievements of the Defence Intelligence Agency’s giant strides achieved across the nation.

“I am confident that these new premises will yield enormous shelter dividends to the Defence Intelligence Agency staff, their families and to the host locality.

“The acquisition of this accommodation is a great leap forward, but the envisaged benefits would be aborted without diligent maintenance.

“I charge you all to ensure the sustenance of the high standard of this facility. This would help realise the value of the enormous resources committed to its acquisition.

“The agency’s investment in staff accommodation complements our vision of achieving improved national security,” he said.

The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo, said he identified three critical areas of consideration for a professional workforce for the agency on assumption of office.

The three areas, according to him, are technical intelligence capabilities, human capacity development and staff welfare, saying the staff quarters acquired will ameliorate the accommodation challenges faced by the agency.

Mr Adebayo said that the facility contained 16 units of three-bedroom terrace buildings with boys’ quarters and 48 units of three-bedroom flats all en suite.

He added that one of the blocks of six units of flats and two units of terrace buildings had been furnished as prototypes, adding that the rest would be furnished during the 2023 budget implementation cycle.

(NAN)