The project, known as Bedu-Addo Block, was initiated by the then Chief of the Naval Staff and now Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama.

In the Western Command, barracks accommodation remain one of its major challenges within the 2-Garrison. Out of the 1,200 personnel, including officers, less than 300 representing about 21.3 per cent are occupying military accommodation.

Handover

At the handover ceremony, the Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Samuel Walker, said the prevailing situation no doubt affected efficiency.

He gave an assurance that more efforts were underway to address the housing deficit.

He said the project was completed at a time the Navy required more junior ratings to be accommodated at the barracks to facilitate the training of newly recruited ratings and deployment of personnel in the oil fields and other duties.

He commended the Chief of the Naval Staff and his staff for the provision of the facility and called on the beneficiaries to keep the it in good condition, saying, “But like Oliver Twist, we continue to ask for more of such interventions.”

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Issah Adam Yakubu, said the fact remained that accommodating personnel in the barracks fostered esprit de corps in the service, promoted discipline among troops and improved on the ability of the command to mobilise personnel for various activities.

He said it was for that reason any attempt to accommodate more of the personnel and their families in the barracks remained crucial to the Navy and that the completion and handover of the Bedu-Addo Block and other projects were very important.

Accommodation

“As you may be aware, the construction of 60-units of two-bedroom accommodation has begun on a portion of our land at Kweikuma and another 1,300-unit public-private-partnership housing scheme is also expected to take off very soon on the remaining portion of the land,” the Chief of Naval Staff said.

All these projects, R/Adm. Yakubu said, when completed would have a tremendous impact on the quality of life of personnel and consequently improve the professionalism of the Navy in general.

Regarding the housing challenges, he assured the personnel that the situation in the Navy would continue to improve until the accommodation deficit was overcome.

Maintenance key

“As we admire and prepare to occupy this edifice, I would like to remind all that with every good thing comes great expectation – an expectation for preservation and maintenance,” he said.