The Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, said training of Nigerian Army personnel will continue to receive more attention under his leadership to enhance their operations at various command and formations in the country.
General Lagbaja stated this while declaring open a 4 days Second Senior Command and Leadership Seminar 2023 at 8 Division Nigerian Army Headquarters in Sokoto State.
According to him, the seminar of this nature was designed to equip senior commanders and senior military leaders with requisite skills and competencies to position them better for the tasks that are associated with military duties.
“This seminar among other benefits will also avail participants who are mostly commanders, the opportunity to drive home my command philosophy for the Nigerian Army as they discharge their individual duties in the various theatres of operation across the country.
” Let me emphasised that this forum will create an avenue for elaborate discussion, cross fertilisation of ideas, clarifications, and engenders synergy among stakeholders and participants, while generating new ideas that will enhance our operational capabilities,” he noted.
Security challenges
General Lagbaja who was represented by Commander Training Doctrine Command Nigerian Army, Major General Kelvin Aligbe, noted that the fight against various forms of insecurity ranging from insurgency, kidnap for ransom, banditry, terrorism, secessionist movements and other attendant security challenges have taken some unusual dimension and require a workable unusual approach to tackle in the country.
“This workable unusual approach is part of the anticipated results, this kind of training activity is set to achieve, especially when we leverage on available circumstances to tap from the knowledge and wealth of experience of the stakeholders and resource persons.
” In this regard I urge the participants to utilize every available opportunity and subsequently apply the knowledge and ideas this very important training programme will generate towards stamping out all forms of criminal activities that constitute threats to our national security.
” I also wish to point out that this workshop will address most of the challenges our senior commanders might have or likely to face in the field while tackling the multi-dimensional challenges both administrative and operational in all our theatres of operation.
” I equally want Commanders to also note that the ever-changing nature of conflicts has brought a trend that need to incorporate dynamic command and leadership styles in every of our operations plans. This is necessary so as to maintain formation and unit’s cohesion including morale of subordinates under demanding circumstances while bearing in mind that command and leadership are also very effective tools for operational successes,” he stated.
The General Officer Commanding 8 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Godwin Mutkut, in his welcome address said the Command and Leadership Seminar is a quarterly training activity organised for higher Commanders of the status of General Officers Commanding, Brigade Commanders and Commandants of Nigerian Army formations and establishments.
Proffer solutions
General Mutkut noted that the main objective of the Seminar is to create enabling environment for interactions, brainstorming and cross fertilisation of ideas by experts on contemporary security, command, administrative and other related issues in order to proffer solutions to operational challenges faced by commanders while discharging their duties.
He explained that the outcome of the gathering would provide a platform that will enable army to synergise with other relevant stakeholders outside the armed forces.
The theme of the Second Senior Command and Leadership Seminar is: ” Capacity Development of Senior Commanders to Meet Emerging Security Threats in a Joint Environment”.
Lateefah Ibrahim
