Follow Us on Google
Molly Kilete, Abuja
The 177 Guards Battalion has emerged winners of the Guards Brigade first quarter inter-unit map reading competition.
The competition which took place at the Mambila barracks, Asokoro, saw 176 Guards Battalion clinching the second position, 102 Guards battalion third position, while 7 Guards Battalion came last.
Related: Guards Brigade inter-unit map reading competition
The competition, which had as contestants the five battalions making up the Brigade, is aimed at enhancing troops understanding of map reading equipment and the usage of the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
In his address at the occasion, Brigadier General Adekunle Onilenla, Deputy Director Intelligence, Defence Intelligence Agency, Abuja, commended the Brigade for the training and retraining of its officers and soldiers to meet contemporary security challenges.
Onilenla, who was the special guest, said: “Adequate knowledge of map reading is vital especially during tactical movement and manoeuver.
“Therefore, the importance of map reading cannot be overemphasised. Although, compasses are the primary navigational tools used in the Nigerian Army, advancement in technology has provided alternative navigational tools. One of such is the introduction of the Global Positioning System (GPS) which is being used in the Nigerian Army. It is a general observation that only a few personnel of the Nigerian Army are conversant with the use of the device. It is on this premise that this map reading exercise has become necessary in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s vision of having ‘a professionally responsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles’,” General Onilenla stated.
