Army ’ll remain symbol of Nigeria’s unity – COAS

Posted by admin Armed Forces, Headlines Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Nigerian Army would continue to discharge its constitutional responsibilities effectively and remain one of the foremost symbols of national unity. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Onyeabo Ihejirika gave the assurance while delivering a keynote address during the opening ceremony of this year’s 2011 Combat Army Training (CAT) week hosted by Infantry Corps Centre, Jaji.

“The Nigerian Army’s performance during the 2011 April election and the immediate crisis period that followed it had received wide spread commendation across the country” he said. The army chief, however, noted that despite the achievement recorded so far, the Nigerian Army was still faced with some security challenges, especially the menace of Boko Haram. Against this backdrop, he stressed the need to equip Nigerian Army personnel with appropriate training and tools that would enhance their proficiency and readiness to tackle the challenges.

He added that the CAT week was one of the numerous avenues for the required training, which he expected the participants to utilize maximally. The COAS, who described the CAT week 2011 as particularly unique in view of it’s theme: “Capacity Building for National Emergencies Implications for the Combat Arms,” stressed that the role the Nigerian Army was currently playing in combating national emergencies in the country was sacrosanct.

He lauded the effort of the Federal Government for provision of vehicles, adding that the Army headquarters was complementing the effort through in-house repair of Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs).
Ihejirika expressed the hope that at the end of the CAT week, the various papers delivered would help in shaping and enhancing the operational training and readiness of the combat army to meet emergency security challenges and improved communication.

He expressed optimism that the synergy of ideas that would be generated during the exercise would contribute significantly towards a better understanding of the security challenges confronting the nation with a view to proffering solution to them. In his welcome address, the Commander, Infantry Corps, Major General Mohammed Isah noted that the demand for the Nigerian Army’s involvement in Internal Security (IS) was increasing in line with the increase in vices such as political violence, religious intolerance, armed banditry, militancy and kidnapping. He said in all the above mentioned vices, the Combat Arms had been playing their lead roles effectively.

The Commander, Infantry Corps also stressed that the increasing roles of the combat arms in internal security had made training activities such as CAT week imperative. Highlight of the event during the training week were well packaged lectures on topical issues, delivered by renown academics including professor OBC Nwolise, Professor C. Ubah, Professor D O Alabi, Professor Rauf Dumoye, Dr Kingsley Kuku, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and fire power demonstration by the two Combat Arms.

-Sunwp_posts