For the first time in its history, the National Defence College (NDC) will admit foreign participants from Brazil, Turkey, Germany and India, for the college’s next academic programme to be inaugurated on September 15, 2016.
The college secretary, AVM Uko Ebong disclosed this while addressing journalists on the forthcoming graduation of institution’s course 24 participants.
He said admitting foreign participants from these countries would improve the institution’s strategic partnership with the armed forces countries around the world.
He added that the interest shown in the college’s academic programme was a testimony to the excellence that the college had attained over the years.
He said: “The National Defence College provides the highest level of formal military education intended to inculcate a sense of advance military professionalism and involvement in the decision making process.
“I am happy to state here that the next course of the NDC will be having participants from Turkey, Germany, India, Brazil and other allied African countries and it is expected to be inaugurated on September 15, 2016.
`”It is my earnest desire to continue to promote the college as the centre of excellence for developing potential strategic leaders in Africa and globally.”
Ebong added that the college would in the nearest future open its doors to participants from the private sector as part of efforts to increase public awareness on the issue of national security.
Ebong said the college had in the past years of its existence made deliberate efforts to improve on the content and quality of its programmes which had attracted interests within and outside Africa.
The secretary of the college said some aspects of the institution’s curriculum had been reviewed while infrastructure and other facilities at the college had been upgraded in line with its growing status.
On the course 24 graduation, Ebong said 130 participants comprising officers from the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Service participated in the course.
According to him, other participants of the course 24 include officers from the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Immigration Service, Ministry of Defence and allied countries of Ghana, Sierra-Leone, Benin and Zambia.
Ebong said the overall performance of participants was adjudged above average while their general conduct was satisfactory.
He said the highpoint of the graduation ceremony was the presentation of certificates to participants by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 5. NAN
