The Federal Government prioritizes defence training to guarantee the alertness of the Armed Forces to tackle recurring security challenges leveraging on innovation and creativity in warfare.
The Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi stated this during the graduation ceremony of Army War College, Nigeria, Course 5 in Abuja.
He said that the Federal Government is “ever committed to supporting the Armed Forces in the effort to develop the right sets of skills and knowledge of its personnel to be better prepared to tackle security threats that confront us all”.
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Defence, Musa Istifanus thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his unflinching support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria and expressed his optimism that continuity and sustainability of the level of training will develop the required capacity in no distant time to be able to overcome present security challenges and those of the future.
He noted that it is against this background that operational level training which is being conducted in the War College, with outcomes that speak directly to a plethora of security challenges that have besieged the country, remains one of the top priorities of Government.
Magashi remarked that “a lot of progress has been made in the ongoing Military operations in the North East and other theatres, particularly as the three Services continue to operate more jointly against enemies of our dear country.
The Commandant of the Army War College, Nigeria, Maj Gen Solomon Odunwa in his welcome address said that 63 participants drawn from the Armed Forces and other Security Agencies went through rigorous training that have acquainted them with the required skills to intelligently proffer solutions to problems.
Highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the magazine ‘The Bridge’ and ‘The Journal of the Army War College, Nigeria’ by the representative of Minister of Defence, Musa Istifanus, supported by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Serika, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya and National President of Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA) Hajiya Salamatu Faruk Yahaya.