Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has appealed to the top hierarchy of the army to site the headquarters of the newly created 83 Division in Delta State.
Oborevwori made the appeal when he received a committee from the army headquarters on a stakeholders’ consultative visit to the state as part of consultations on the realignment of areas of responsibility, arising from the creation of the 83 Division.
The committee was led by the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation, Major-General Thompson Ugiagbe.
The governor argued that the state is strategically positioned to host the division headquarters because of its central location among Delta, Edo and Bayelsa States, as well as its concentration of critical national oil and gas assets.
According to him, locating the headquarters in Delta State would enhance the army’s response time and improve the protection of strategic national assets across the South-South region.
He noted that the state accounts for a significant proportion of Nigeria’s oil and gas production and has other strategic assets requiring adequate security protection.
The governor said the state also has three airports and four seaports, making it strategically suitable for the proposed formation.
Oborevwori appealed to the committee to recommend Delta State as the headquarters location to the chief of army staff and the president, stressing that the state was prepared to support the establishment of the formation.
He said the state government is ready to provide land and temporary facilities and contribute financially towards the effective take-off of the new formations.
“This is not a passive appeal for the constitution of the division. It is a request for partnership from a state that understands what is at stake,” the governor said.
Oborevwori recalled that his administration has provided land and infrastructure support for military formations already established in the state, assuring that the government would continue to support the Nigerian Army.
He also said the state has a large pool of retired senior military officers, including several retired four-star generals, arguing that locating the division headquarters in the state would also be a fitting recognition of their service to the nation.
Earlier, Ugiagbe conveyed the goodwill of the chief of army staff and expressed appreciation to the governor and people of Delta State for their support for the Nigerian Army.
He explained that the creation of the 83 Division follows President Tinubu’s approval for the expansion of the army from eight to 12 divisions.
He said the new 83 Division would have responsibility for Delta, Edo and Bayelsa States, adding that the restructuring would lead to the creation of additional military units to strengthen security coverage and prevent gaps in the existing arrangement.
According to him, Delta State would retain the 63 Brigade headquarters in Asaba, three battalion in Warri, the 90 Amphibious Battalion and the 181 Battalion.
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He disclosed that the state would also receive three additional units — the 246 Recce Battalion already established in Oleh, a new field artillery regiment and an air defence regiment.
Ugiagbe said the additional formations were necessitated by Delta State’s strategic importance and the need to strengthen the army’s footprint across the state.
He explained that the army has proposed locating the field artillery regiment close to the brigade headquarters, while the air defence regiment is being proposed for Osubi because of its strategic importance and proximity to critical infrastructure, including the airport.
The army chief also sought the state government’s support for temporary facilities and land to enable the new formations to commence operations while permanent infrastructure was being developed.
He said the army would subsequently work with the state’s relevant agencies, including its mapping and geographical information authorities, to identify and properly document the land required for the new formations.
