Buratai charges officers on professionalism, patriotism

Visits wounded soldiers in hospital

Stories by Musa Umar Bologi
Abuja

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has charged officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces to maintain high standard of professionalism and patriotism while discharging their duties.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Junior Course 84 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna state, the army chief also charged the junior officers that their conducts must be guarded by the Armed Forces act.
“You must conduct yourselves in a manner that befits a gentleman. You must be professional, patriotic and respect the rights of other citizens,” he said.
Earlier in his address, Commandant of the AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal Suleman Dambo said the college has kept pace with the dynamics in the security environment by improving on its curriculum to meet contemporary security challenges of third generation warfare.
He said the graduants were trained in the areas of command, analytical and communication skills that would benefit them in single, combined and complex operations.
“The Counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism package is expanded with the introduction of simulation exercises to ensure joint operations at the tactical level,” he said.
He said there has been steady increase in the attendance of students from other African countries in the college, which he said was an indication of the benefit of the course to militaries of various African countries.
A total of 171 students graduated from the course, comprising 90 from the Nigerian Army, 40 from the Nigerian Navy, 28 from the Nigerian Air Force, 6 non-military personnel, and 7 from African countries.
Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff paid a visit to some soldiers wounded during the ongoing operations against Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.
The army chief, accompanied by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) I Division, Maj. Gen. M. Mohammed, Director of the hospital, Maj. Gen. Ikechukwu Bernard Okeke and senior officers from the Army headquarters went round the wards where the soldiers were admitted and receiving treatments.
Buratai took time to interact with the soldiers on admission, as he went round from one bed to another.
He commended the hospital the hospital management for the quality of care given the soldiers.
The army chief has always visited troops recuperating in hospitals whenever he visits any military location.
It would be recalled that the army renovated and upgraded wards where the soldiers are being admitted in the hospitals, which the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali said was a step to reduce the evacuation of wounded personnel, especially troops involved in the fight against insurgency to overseas for treatment and thus save the nation some foreign exchange.

Leave a Reply