By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vowed to invoke his constitutional powers to continue to equip, arm and empower the Nigerian military.
He acknowledged “the importance of strategic leadership in addressing the complex security and development challenges” confronting Nigeria.
President Tinubu made the vow on Friday during the graduation ceremony of the Course 32 participants at the National Defence College, Abuja.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the event, the President decried the state of infrastructure at the National Defence College’s permanent site at Piwoyi, Abuja, noting that, while his administration has made substantial progress, there is still more work to be done in the school.
Accordingly, he restated his administration’s commitment to ensuring ongoing work and upgrading of the facilities at the permanent site are completed.
Vowing to arm and equip the nation’s armed forces, the President said, “Under my watch, members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria have made remarkable sacrifices and recorded significant achievements in protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity and securing the lives and properties of our citizens.
“I will continue to do everything within my constitutional powers to ensure that the Nigerian military is well-resourced and fit for purpose”.
President Tinubu thanked the graduates of Course 32 for their input and contributions to his research aimed at providing “strategic options for harnessing the mining industry in Nigeria to enhance national security and development.
“We are already working with the fundamentals of your recommendations as we look forward to actualising our golden era scenario with substantial security assets supported by robust collaboration and institutional reforms,” he added.
President Tinubu further charged the graduates of Course 32 to continue upholding the values of excellence, courage, patriotism and integrity, even as he implored them to use their newly acquired knowledge and skills to address the multifarious challenges facing Nigeria.
Earlier, the Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu, disclosed that the 111 graduates will contribute to Nigeria’s efforts to bolster its strategic leadership across various sectors.
He said, “Our mission is to develop future strategic leaders sufficiently equipped with the requisite knowledge and analytical skills necessary to harness the instruments of national power in a dynamic defence and security environment.
“For participants of Course 32, this mission is achieved through a 9-module curriculum comprising subject areas such as research methodology, science and technology, conflict and war studies, policy formulation analysis, and strategic leadership among others”.
