Nigeria to overhaul military – Defence minister

The Minister of State for Defence says the federal government wants an “intellectually sound armed forces”

The Minister of State for Defence, Olusola Obada, on Tuesday, in Abuja, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to overhauling the armed forces.

Mrs. Obada said this while inaugurating Course 21 participants of the National Defence College (NDC).

She said the objective of the ministry is to overhaul and transform the armed forces into an institution that would be able to prove its worth whenever it is called upon to do so.

The minister said that in pursuance of the objective, the ministry has taken initiatives to re-equip the services and enhance the welfare of officers and men.

She said the initiatives include re-orientation of the armed forces for proper appreciation of its relationship with civil authority and building virile and intellectually sound armed forces, through training and re-training.

“The idea is to have a defense force, capable of responding rapidly and decisively across the full spectrum of military operations in order to guarantee national security, and influence the global environment to the advantage of our country,” she said.

Mrs. Obada told the participants that they have a role to play as the country moves its armed forces forward for the betterment of the nation and the region.

She said the participants are in the college because they are expected to help with the process of transformation in future.

“It is expected that you will take advantage of these resources here, so that you can help us, in future, to grow the armed forces,” the minister added.

In his address, the Commandant of the College, Thomas Lokoson, said the inauguration would provide an opportunity for the participants to have a clear understanding of their mission in the college and to also know “what is expected of them over the next 11 months’’.

Mr. Lokoson described the course as intensive, extensive and very demanding.

“You must also know that, at this college, we maintain and expect a very high standard of discipline, moral values and academic excellence and we expect you to endeavour to live up to these standards,” he said.

Mr. Lokoson said that in view of the enormity and complexity of the responsibilities ahead of the participants, the college is committed to giving them the best training. He said the college has reviewed the curriculum to make it more apt, relevant and friendly, adding that the college facilities have also been improved upon to aid their studies.

The college inaugurated 127 participants. The figure is made up of Army, 49; Navy, 35; Air Force, 24; Police, two; nine participants from Ministries, Department and Agencies, and eight international participants.

NAN