By ZAKAA LAZARUS-Abuja.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has charged graduands of Course 22 of the Logistics Management Course and Course 2 of the Senior Leadership and Staff Officers Course 2024 to justify the huge investments made by the Nigerian Army (NA) in training them.
The Army chief gave the charge while speaking at the graduation ceremony of the officers held at the Auditorium of the Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management (NACOLM) in Ojo, Lagos state.
The COAS commended the diligence and dedication demonstrated by the graduating students throughout their training in the college and urged them to put to good use, the knowledge acquired by initiating innovative ideas to solve complex problems for the benefit of their services.
General Oluyede lauded the college’s efforts in effectively delivering on its mandate to enhance the number of officers adequately equipped with requisite logistics, leadership, and staff duties skills. He expressed optimism that the officers will utilize their expertise in resource management and supply chain logistics for operational effectiveness in the face of dwindling resources.
The COAS, while stressing that Nigerian Army Training Institutions are key to his commitment and drive for a well trained Army, assured that the training institutions will be galvanized to sustain professionalism through realistic training and engagement of the right mix of personnel. He appreciated the Governments of The Gambia and Republic of Malawi for sending their officers to train in the college.
In his remarks, the Commandant NACOLM, Major General Wisdom Etuk disclosed that since its inception in 2003, the college has offered purely logistics training to officers of the NA and other sister services in line with its original training mandate. However, the college was subsequently handed an additional mandate to train junior and middle cadre officers of Direct Regular Commission in the NA.
He maintained that the graduating students are well trained in logistics planning, leadership, and management as well as staff procedures, thus making them ready for deployment to the field in support of ongoing operational engagements of the NA.
The Logistics Management Course 22 of 2024 had 34 officers, out of which 29 are drawn from the Nigerian Army, 2 from the Nigerian Navy, 2 from the Nigerian Air Force, while one allied student is from the Malawian Defence Forces.
The Senior Leadership and Staff Officers’ Course 2 of 2024 comprised 105 Nigerian Army officers and one allied student from the Gambia Armed Forces.
The COAS later commissioned several projects in the college aimed at creating a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning in the training institution.
The projects include an Ultramodern Auditorium, students’ hostel, and other facilities. The COAS also visited Ikeja Cantonment, where he commissioned the newly constructed Headquarters of 701 Transport Battallion.
The memorable event was graced by former Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, serving and retired top brass of the NA and other services, as well as stakeholders in the logistics industry.
