Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, Nigerian Army, on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, reiterated that training was critical to enhance operations and to tackle insecurity in the country.
Abubakar stated this at the opening ceremony of the 3 Division Inter- Brigade Formations Combat Proficiency Competition 2023, in Bauchi. According to him, continuous training of officers goes far beyond checking off a to-do task of army, but a way to develop skills and knowledge to tackle insecurity.
The GOC, represented by Brig.-Gen Emmanuel Egbe, Commander, 33 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Bauchi, said the competition was organised to train officers in performing constitutional roles.
“Training is the cardinal pillar of the Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) command philosophy, which is to transform the Nigerian Army into a well trained, equipped and highly motivated force toward achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.
“Nigeria is currently bedeviled by a myriad of security challenges, that include insurgency, kidnapping, miltancy, armed robbery among others.
“To address these challenges, the armed forces have continued to upscale its training and military exercise. One of such areas of training is the conduct of this combat proficiency competition,” he said.
Abubakar said that the competition was aimed at sharpening the skills and competence of junior leadership in 3 division inline with army headquarter’s training directive for the year 2023.
“The competition would develop a spirit of competition, cooperation and teamwork,” he said.
Maj.-Gen Abubakar urged the participants to engage in healthy competition during the week-long training. Also speaking, Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Ahmed, Commander, Army Armored Corps, urged the participants to pay attention to the training.
He also urged the participants to put in their best and shun cheating during the competition. Ahmed further urged the arbitrators of the competition to be fair in judging the participants’ competition.
NAN reports that the five-day competition has brought together participants from formations under 3 division including 6 Brigade, 23 brigade, 33 brigade, 43 Engineers and 3 division garrison respectively