Naval War College Honours Course 8 Graduates 

By Eme Offiong, Calabar 

The Naval War College Nigeria has honoured 24 graduates of Warfare Course 8 with merit awards and certificates of participation at a ceremony organised to mark the end of an intensive 34-week training programme.

The graduates comprised 17 Nigerian Navy Commanders, 2 Lieutenant Colonels of the Nigerian Army, 2 Nigerian Air Force Wing Commanders, including 3 allied participants from Ghana, Guinea Bissau and the Republic of Cameroon.

During the ceremony, the Special Guest of Honour, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla took center stage, presenting merit awards and certificates of participation to the accomplished officers for completing the training programme.

In his speech, Vice Admiral Ogalla emphasised the importance of continuous professional development and the role of education in shaping the future of naval warfare, noting that the the training was designed to enhance their strategic and operational capabilities to take on greater responsibilities.

Ogalla said, “this symbolizes another milestone in your military career as 24 of you conclude the course. I am aware of the intense academic exercises you went through in the last 32 weeks and hereby congratulate you for the successful completion of the course. 

“I also wish to specially congratulate the 3 allied participants from Cameroon, Ghana and Guinea-Bissau. Your participation on this course symbolizes the international cooperation and collaboration necessary for maritime security.” 

The CNS reiterated the objective of the Naval War College as a platform for conducting trainings essential for the multidimensional initiatives to curb threats in the maritime domain.

He stated, “These threats result to trade disruptions and increased shipping costs affecting economic prosperity of countries. As such, multidimensional security and safety initiatives are required to combat these threats. 

“The objective of the Naval War College is to build capacity of operational level commanders for the conceptualization, planning and execution of operations towards combating maritime security threats. It is instructive to note that the college is satisfactorily actualizing its mandate amongst several other initiatives.”

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The CNS encouraged the officers to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and to utilize their training to enhance the operational effectiveness of the Navy.

World-class naval education

Similarly, the Commandant of the Naval War College, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, who hosted the ceremony, expressed pride in the achievements of the graduates and reiterated the institution’s commitment to providing world-class naval education.

He comnended the CNS for the support to the college and highlighted the collaborative efforts of the faculty, staff and other partners in delivering a comprehensive curriculum that has equipped the officers with the strategic foresight and tactical proficiency needed to succeed in an evolving maritime domain.

“The CNS approved all the college’s request over the period of this programme. This has enabled the college to transform the mission into reality. Furthermore, strategic training partnership with various institutions in and outside Nigeria has greatly enhanced the quality of training.

“Our partners are the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies at the National Defence College Nigeria, Army War College Nigeria, Pakistani Naval War College, British Military Advisory Training Team (BMATT) as well as the Universities of Calabar, Ibadan, Port-Harcourt and Nsukka,” Rear Admiral Ahmed noted.

He advised the graduates to be courageous, uphold integrity and utilised the knowledge gained for the benefit of the armed forces in their future service.

Highlights included the presentation of distinguished awards to members of faculty and some partners.