*EXPOSE YOURSELVES TO TRAINING, DEVELOP SUBORDINATES- GEN LAGBAJA CHARGES PARTICIPANTS OF AIR FORCE WAR COLLEGE*

0
IMG-20240509-WA0584
Spread the love

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja has charged participants of Air War Course 10/2024 of the Air Force War College Nigeria (AFWCN)to build strategic leadership capacity and develop their subordinates by exposing themselves to adequate training and delegating responsibilities and tasks to their subordinates for the benefit of the system. The Army Chief gave the charge on Wednesday 9 May 2024, when he delivered a lecture titled, “Military Strategic Leadership: My Perspective”, at the AFWCN, Makurdi, Benue State.

my

Expatiating further, General Lagbaja pointed out, that
Military Strategic Leadership is the glue that holds the Armed Forces together as a subsystem within the national polity, adding that this is achieved by developing the vision or philosophy to guide the personnel and ensure that they operate within the boundaries set by the philosophy in the performance of assigned tasks in line with national interest and security. Gen Lagbaja maintained that ‘the need for exposure to training, including Civil Military Relations (CMR) cannot be over-emphasised, as the military strategic leadership relates with all segments of society, particularly the political class’. This, he added, ‘will enhance sound administration of personnel and operational effectiveness of troops’ in tackling contemporary and emerging security challenges.

The COAS also told the participants, that as strategic leaders in the making, they must have the moral courage to delegate responsibilities and task their subordinates to enable them develop requisite competences, even as they carry out their daily routine duties, describing it as ‘on the job training’ for the personnel.

He used the opportunity to enjoin the participants to ensure positive contribution to the implementation of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act 2023. He disclosed that the
President, Commander-in- Chief, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given a nod to the Defence industries Corporation (DICON) Act 2023, with provisions for manufacturing of defence equipment in the country. This he stressed, is important for the nation to minimise its over-reliance on foreign procurement of necessary materiel and equipment. He expressed appreciation to Mr President for the initiative and political will.

The course had participants from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, civilians and some foreign participants.

ONYEMA NWACHUKWU
Major General
Director Army Public Relations
9 May 2024

About Author

Effective Operations: We’ll Sustain Partnership with Security Stakeholders – COAS Lagbaja Army Pledges to Sustain Partnership for Operational Effectiveness The Nigerian Army has expressed its resolve to partner reputable stakeholders in the Defence and Security Industry for the procurement of requisite equipment and platforms that would enhance its operational effectiveness. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, according to a statement signed by the Director, Army Public Relations, and sighted by the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), disclosed this during the Army Headquarters Fourth Quarter 2023 Procurement Seminar themed, “Implications of the New Central Bank of Nigeria Foreign Exchange Policy on International Trade: Challenges for the Nigerian Army”, held at the Army War College Nigeria, Abuja. Elucidating further, the COAS pointed out, that government policies are critically important to the successful attainment of NA constitutional mandate, adding that one of such policies is the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recent Foreign Exchange Policy, which has continued to have significant implications for NA contracts requiring foreign exchange. He noted that this development has resulted in requests for payment of variations, which he described, as unfavourable to the NA. He explained that the need to forge mutual understanding of the CBN policy amongst stakeholders informed the theme of the seminar. The Army Chief affirmed, that as Nigeria’s contemporary security space continues to deepen the relevance of military logistics contractors in Nigerian Army’s sustenance plans, it becomes expedient to have the seminar in order to promote mutual understanding amongst stakeholders to help the NA aggregate value for Government allocations. Gen Lagbaja maintained that the primary objective of establishing the Directorate is ‘contract and contractor relationship management to enable the NA obtain the best value for funds released to its contractors and business partners for execution of various contracts and projects, while ensuring fairness, integrity and transparency’. The COAS declared that under his leadership, the NA will view all forms of short-changing with the seriousness it deserves and ensure that contractors mobilized for various jobs deliver as agreed, adding that the NA remains open to partnering relevant stakeholders on terms favourable to all and give value to the Federal Government that funds its activities. The COAS appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his tireless support by providing the means for the NA to procure vital requirements. He also expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Defence, Office of the National Security Adviser, CBN, Bureau of Public Procurement and other stakeholders for their support. He expressed optimism that the seminar will facilitate renewed commitment to building and sustaining an efficient procurement system that meets international best practices. In his remarks, the Director Procurement, Major General Adeyinka Adereti, stated that the objective of the seminar is to enhance participants understanding of the rudiments of operational contract support in an ever-changing global context. He emphasized that public procurement and foreign exchange policies and regulations continue to be the guiding compass for the award of contracts and procurement of platforms, which would enhance NA operations and improve the Army’s posture to perform its role. He revealed that global procurement processes have taken a new turn due to changes in the international system and the prevailing security climate, hence the need to organize the procurement seminar. Highlights of the opening ceremony were robust interactive sessions, group photographs and presentation of souvenirs to resource persons, as well as discussants and moderators.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *