The Army War College Nigeria, AWCN, on Friday graduated 66 officers from its Course 3/2019 after eight months of intensive military and strategic training.
The participants comprise 51 colonels and two Lieutenant colonels of Nigerian Army, one Navy Commodore, and two wing commanders of Nigerian Air force as well as one lieutenant colonel each from the Republic of Cameroon and Congo.
Other participants include two each from the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
READ ALSO: Nigerian military denies detaining children as terrorism suspects
While presenting the certificate for the award of Fellowship of the Nigerian Army War College to the participants, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, said that the college had trained over 100 participants from across armed forces and other security agencies since its establishment in 2017.
He said that AWCN had contributed immensely to building capacity of senior officers at operational level for the armed forces of Nigeria.
Mr Magashi said that current volatile security environment required knowledge and strategic approach in order to articulate workable solutions.
He said that the participation of Cameroon and Congo in the course was a testimony of the spirit of African brotherhood that the military institutions had promoted over the years.
“Furthermore, the inclusion of security agencies such as the police, FRSC, NSCDC, EFCC and Immigration service will allow for a seamless operation in a volatile, complex and ambitious operational environment that we currently have.
“It is therefore heart-warming to note that AWCN is not only impacting the armed forces of Nigeria but the entire Nigerian security infrastructure thereby achieving the objectives for which it was established.
“As you are all aware, our dear country Nigeria is going through a trying time which has necessitated the army and indeed the armed forces to be deployed for internal security operations in almost all states of the federation.
“In spite of this, the Nigerian army has continued to play a pivotal role in ensuring security of our dear nation as well as protecting its territorial integrity.
“It is important to note that professionalism and training for purposeful leadership at all levels has contributed to this feat,” he said.
The Commandant of AWCN, Charles Ofoche, said that the course was designed to equip participants with requisite skills and knowledge to function effectively at the military, strategic and operational levels.
Mr Ofoche, a major-general, explained that the war course was conceptualised to bridge the training gap between the strategic and tactical levels of warfare.
“The current security environment around the world can be described as volatile, complex and it is a very changing time which require new thinking tools as well as a cognitive ability to articulate measures to address these threats.
“This underscores the importance of critical thinking, systems thinking and creative thinking in professional military education which is offered at the college.
“This is an indispensable and valuable resource to proffering solutions to the numerous global security challenges,” he said.
The commandant urged the graduands to match the knowledge they acquired with their performances on the field, adding that government had invested heavily in their education.
NAN
