The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has, on Tuesday, assured Nigerians that the country would surmount all its security challenges, as the Nigerian Army is being repositioned to conduct operations effectively.
Noting that challenges are part and parcel of the lives of every organisation and country, Attahiru said men and officers of the military are more desirous and committed than ever at meeting the expectations of Nigerians at addressing the security challenges in the country.
The COAS disclosed these while fielding questions from reporters after declaring open the First Senior Command and Leadership Seminar for Brigade Commanders and General Officers Commanding, 2021.
The seminar, designed to be conducted in two stages, is themed: “Enhancing the Capacity of Nigerian Army Senior Level Field Commanders for Optimal Performance in a Complex Operational Environment”. It was held at the Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, Headquarters 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan.
The COAS said: “Basically, in the case of training and retraining, we want to place our commanders on better pedestal where they can better perform and Nigerians will indeed be very happy with the kind of output and outcome for all operations around Nigeria.
“This time around, we are training Commanders in the Southern formations with particular emphasis on international best practices of rules of engagements, international humanitarian laws and international human rights laws to sensitise commanders on how best these can be applied in all their operations,” he stated.
Repositioning the Military
Attahiru noted that the Nigerian Army, under his leadership, would do things differently which is why the training was being organised for the senior officers in order to have a better outcome and effectively deal with the country’s myriad security challenges.
He disclosed that he had set mechanisms in motion to invigorate, effectively plan and conduct operations, as well as draw lessons from ongoing operations and partner with relevant stakeholders to achieve the desired result.
Attahiru noted that upon assumption of office as the 21st COAS and conscious of the growing threats in national security, he had identified the compelling need to urgently and professionally reposition the Nigerian Army to effectively conduct operations in order to detect the threats and contain the security challenges facing the country.
He called on the General Officers and Brigade Commanders to key into his mission and re-dedicate themselves in other to drive the process towards the attainment of the desired goals and objectives, saying “I want you, the officers, to understand that our dear nation is facing formidable and unprecedented attacks from non-state actors and security threats that are unstructured.”
Overview of training
Giving an overview on the two-legged training series, the Chief of Army Training, Maj. Gen Fidelix Azinta, said the training would help the Army detect all the emerging threats in Nigeria and meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
Azinta said the seminar is one of the forums through which the NA draws from the experience of others, emphasizing the readiness of the COAS to do things differently in order to achieve a different and better result.
He stated that a similar seminar, billed to take place in Kaduna, is also planned for same categories of officers in the Northern region, adding that the focus would border on operations, image management, synergy, human rights and rules of engagement, among others.
Improving the Military
In his welcome remarks, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division NA, Maj. Gen. Gold Chibuisi, appreciated the COAS for approving the training and urged the participants to utilise the training to improve their knowledge.
One of the resource persons billed to speak, a retired Professor of Political Science, University of Ibadan, Prof Osisioma Nwolise, commended the Nigerian Army for the initiative, calling on the political class to also do the needful in developing themselves through seminars, trainings and workshops, so as to do better in their beat.
Nwolise warned that the men of the Nigerian Army have been stretched saying: “We are over-labouring our military. The military is doing a lot of police jobs. We are overusing them, we are overstretching them. Let the country recognise, train and fund the Nigerian Police, as the lead agency for internal security and that would relieve the Army to do their job better.”
Emmanuel Ukoh
