The chief of army staff, 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.

Mr Shaibu 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 army chief 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, 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, will expand the army’s hospitality footprint,” he said.

He urged participants to internalise the pillars of that philosophy and reflect them in the administration and management of army hospitality establishments.

Mr Shaibu added that the lectures scheduled for the conference were deliberately designed to strengthen leadership, operational efficiency, and customer service.

He also reaffirmed the loyalty of the Nigerian Army’s officers and soldiers to President Bola Tinubu, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and declared the conference open.

Earlier, the chief of special services and programmes (army), Aminu Garba, said the army was repositioning its officers’ messes and suites to operate as competitive, profitable and sustainable hospitality businesses.

Mr Garba described the messes and suites as critical welfare investments established to provide quality and subsidised accommodation for army personnel and other members of the armed forces, particularly when in transit.

He said the army had continued to upgrade existing facilities and expand its presence in 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.

Mr 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 army and expressed confidence that deliberations at the conference would translate into improved efficiency and service delivery across all army officers’ messes and suites.

(NAN)