Follow Us on Google
Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) headquartered in Kaduna on Saturday concluded exercise camp highland 2020 with tactical phase (battle inoculation) in Kachia, Kaduna State.
The exercise, which started on July 5, 2020 in Heipang and Shere hills, Jos, Plateau State and terminated at 810 metres altitude Table hill, Kachia, was the final outdoor exercise for Army cadets of 67 Regular Course and Short Service Course 46.
The exercise was designed to test cadets’ leadership qualities, endurance, map reading, command and control capabilities among other military competences – a major platform used to ascertain the level of preparedness of final year Army cadets before their commissioning as officers in the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Speaking as Guest of Honour at the closing of the event in Kachia, erstwhile Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), commended the Army for increasing manpower without compromising the standard of professionalism.
Gen Agwai, whose speech was more directed to the cadets urged them not to compromise their loyalty first to the Nigerian Army and the country as a whole.
“It is pertinent to state in clear terms that your loyalty is to the military profession, your Nation and it must be unquestionable as you subordinate yourselves to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“In the final journey towards the grant of Presidential Commission, you must know that after commissioning, you automatically become leaders of men and women in the
Nigerian Army (NA) where much is expected of you.
“To earn the respect of your subordinates, peers and superiors you must be very professional and ready to lead by example. Additionally you must exert positive influence on your subordinates and equally have an unassailable personal integrity by always doing what you ought to do and not what you want to do.
“The new skills and qualification that you have just acquired should be used to serve your subordinate, the NA and the Nation.
“As leaders, you are to be compassionate, understanding and have the true grand to defend your men when they have followed orders even when such orders were given in error. Do have the courage to accept mistakes as well as blames when you are wrong, but make sure you learn from such mistakes”, he charged the cadets.
The 3 weeks exercise saw participants through various Civil-Military cooperation activities in the exercise area in Kachia and Jos particularly battle inoculation which include live firing of small arms and artillery weapons between July 21 to 25, 2020.
