The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya on Friday 17 February 2023 inaugurated Course 7/2021 of Army War College Nigeria (AWCN), at the College Auditorium in Abuja.
Giving his remarks during the event, General Yahaya congratulated the participants for their nomination into the prestigious college urging them to remain focused and apply themselves towards maximizing the benefits of the rich course content of the college.
He said, “It is highly envisaged that by the end of your course, you all would have joined the elite league of critical thinkers who strive not only to identify challenges bedevilling our dear nation but to proffer possible strategies or solutions that would succinctly mitigate the challenges”.
The COAS added that the content of the course would no doubt assist in equipping the participants with the requisite expertise to plan and execute military operations in the theatres.
The COAS further enjoined them to also leverage on the jointness in the training for enhanced synergy with Services and other security agencies in the conduct of operations.
He therefore, challenged the participants to imbibe all that is gained from the repository of this great institution so as to adequately bring pragmatic solutions to bear when confronted by such problems in the field.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commandant Army War College Nigeria Major General BA Alabi said, the AWCN was established to bridge the knowledge gap between the tactical and strategic levels of leadership across the Services.
This gap according to him gave rise to the need to produce well-trained, educated and inspired operational-level leaders for the Nigerian Army ( NA).
While noting that 73 participant’s from the Nigerian Army, sister services, foreign countries and and MDAs would be taking part in the 33 weeks course, the Commandant said two are from the Navy, two from the Airforce, six from Cameroon, Benin Tepublic, Cote-D-voire, Morocco and Niger Republic, while others are from MDAs.
General Alabi reaffirmed that, bridging the identified gap would no doubt positions the NA to respond to the increasing need for integrated political/military response in contemporary and future battlespaces.
The Commandant also congratulated the students and reminded them that the task before them on the course is enormous and the stakes are high.
He further encouraged them to exert themselves cognitively in order to add value to the solutions being sought for the numerous problems which the NA, Services and other security agencies are confronted with at the operational level.
Delivering the lecture with the theme “The Role of the Nigerian Army in National Development”, former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General OA Ihejirika (rtd) said the development of any nation is predicated on several instruments of national power including diplomacy, Information, cEconomy and the Military.
On specific roles of the army in support of national development and national stability, Ihejirika said, “The Army can support national development thtough disaster management, support for the heaalth sector, carrying out of medical outreaches up to very remote areas, Housing and infrastructural development and the Education sector.
In the task of fighging insecurity, Gen Ihejirika said, “Though a lot has been achieved, the war against terrorism in the North East cannnot be said to have been won until Sambisa forest is returned to a Tourist Centte.
Aside that, he said their is need to recruit massively into the Nigerian Army for operations while the Nigerian Army Aviation which has been on the drawing board should be operationalized with helicooters for ready and faster deployment of troops in operation theatres.erosion and flooding,
Furthermore, Gen Ihejirika said the Army can play vital roles in tackling afforestation, protection of the cyber space and domination of ungoverned spaces adding that mines and other solid mineral areas of the country currently infested with bandits should be made to come under military oversights.
He however highlighted the importance of job creation for the teaming yoiuhs in the country to positively engage the youths so that they don’t fall prey for use as criminal elements.
