DURING the 2014 emblem launching for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day activities, President Goodluck Jonathan requested the military authorities to submit a programme for enhanced welfare of retired armed forces personnel.

Perhaps in response to this, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Alhaji Aliyu Ismaila, represented at the inauguration of the Remembrance Day National Planning Committee by Alhaji Babayo Shehu, unveiled a proposal for a housing project for retired members of the armed forces and families of fallen heroes.

Though the programme is still on the drawing board, we are firmly in support of it. We encourage the Ministry to assist the Federal Government in creating such housing and other welfare packages that reflect the best models available anywhere.

Housing is not just shelter to a typical African. It is more of a psychological symbol of achievement in the African man. The late African nationalist, Dr. Nelson Mandela, once declared that a man is not complete until he acquires his own house. In no part of Africa does this hold true more than Nigeria.

It is befitting for any man or woman who embraces service in the armed forces to be rest assured that he or she will be rewarded with appropriate shelter for opting to lay down his or her life to protect our country and its citizens. It will spur them to greater service when they know that either in retirement or in the unfortunate situation of loss of life they or their families will not lack in decent shelter of their own. We must always reassure our armed forces and police personnel, who are there for us, that we appreciate their sacrifices and will never toy with their welfare within available resources.

We believe it is possible to create a special relevance for the engineers, architects and other construction professionals in the armed forces to show their expertise through research and implemen-tation of cost-effective housing projects. It will not only serve the needs of officers and men of the armed forces, it will also help in reducing the overwhelming housing deficits that the society at large suffers.

A programme of keeping the construction professionals fully engaged will also serve as incentives for them and enable them to earn extra, dignified income.

The upsurge of insurgency around the world, and here in Nigeria in particular, demands that we make service in our armed forces more rewarding and fulfilling than what the insurgents have to offer to miscreants who enlist to fight against us.

The federal government must not only take up this challenge, it must also make it a showpiece that leaves no one in doubt about our appreciation for the sacrifices of our men and women under arms.