By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the leadership of the Nigerian military for the intellectual transformation of the officer corps.
The President said this yesterday at the decoration of the newly-promoted officers, including the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) Air- Vice Marshal Sadiq Ismaila Kaita, and his Aide-De-Camp (ADC) Colonel Mohammed Lawal Abubakar at the State House in Abuja.
He said modern armies require superiority of intellect and imagination to achieve victory in warfare.
The President Buhari expressed happiness with the array of university degrees they have acquired, and urged all officers to ensure the translation of academic achievements to performance in the field and other places of assignment.
“I am happy with the intellectual approach of the military. In our time, there was no time for academic pursuit. It was all about war, coups and counter-coups,” he said.
The President said in times of peace and stability, military officers should use such opportunity to pursue their intellectual transformation which should go side-by-side with hardware transformation of modern armies.
He, therefore, urged officers to read history, irrespective of their academic backgrounds, describing it as an important pre-requisite for strategic learning and success in the military, stressing that the good quality of the officer corps of the Nigerian Military calls for good performance.
The President congratulated the two officers on their various achievements in their services, and urged them to always be mindful of the welfare of those placed under their command.
Air Vice-Marshal Kaita and Colonel Abubakar have, prior to their current assignments, served the country in peace-keeping missions abroad and are married with families.