By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Special Operations Command (SOC), Rear Admiral Olusegun Soyemi, has paid a maiden operational assessment visit to the Headquarters, Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), Maiduguri.
The two-day visit, held from November 12 to 13, was aimed at strengthening synergy among the Armed Forces and enhancing joint operations for greater effectiveness in the North East theatre.
In his remarks, Rear Admiral Soyemi said the visit provided an opportunity to assess the state of operational readiness, successes recorded, identify challenges, and address critical issues requiring intervention to enhance service delivery in line with the objectives of the Special Operations Command of the Nigerian Navy. He also called for deeper operational jointness as it enables synergy among components, leading to greater effectiveness, flexibility, resilience and strengthens information dominance.
He noted that the intervention of Naval Headquarters in the theatre would serve as a force multiplier in the fight against insurgency and terrorism, in line with the Nigerian Navy’s spectrum strategy and national security objectives. Equally, will boost the economic growth of the region.
“The Nigerian Navy Special Operations will continue to support the overall national security objectives through coordinated command and control mechanisms, particularly under the Naval Base Lake Chad,” he stated.
The FOC expressed appreciation for the comprehensive briefings by OPHK components, describing them as insightful and detailed. He assured the Theatre Commander that all concerns raised would be forwarded to the appropriate naval authorities for prompt action.
In his remarks, the Theatre Commander, OPHK, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, welcomed the FOC. He appreciated the Nigerian Navy for the unprecedented support to OPHK, noting that the maritime component had significantly enhanced the operational activities and overall effectiveness of the Theatre. Major General Abubakar emphasized the critical role of the maritime component in ensuring the success of operations in the Theatre.
“The future of the battle space depends on our domination of the entire battlespace. We must do everything possible to secure them, not just for security reasons but also for their economic value,” he said.
The visit was attended by the Deputy Theatre Commander, Air Vice Marshal Essen Efanga; the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 OPHK, Brigadier .General. Oguchukwu Unachukwu represented by the Chief of Staff, 7 Division; component commanders; and principal staff officers of the Headquarters Theatre Command Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI and Headquarters 7 Division Nigerian Army.
The event featured the presentation of a souvenir to the visiting FOC and a group photograph to mark the end of the visit.
