***As Army’s annual training exercise ends in Niger
The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly Rt Hon Abdulmalik Sarkindaji has indicated that regular training of the officers and men of the force is crucial to combating the rising security challenges, occasioned by the activities of armed Bandits, Insurgents and other criminal elements across the country.
The speaker said it has become necessary based on the sophistication which the criminals elements employ in recent time to perpetrat their criminals acts.
Sarkindaji spoke on Saturday in Kontagora in Niger state as a special guest during the closing ceremony of this year’s annual Nigerian Army special training exercise at Nagwamatse Cantonment in Kontagora Barracks.
A Statement by the speaker’s senior special assistant on Media Shamsudeen Lawal Bnaira quoted the speaker to have indicated that the success and survival of any organization; especially the security outfit, and the Army in particular all over the world is in the training and development of its personnel especially in view of the prevailing security challenges bedeviling the country.
He acknowledged the sacrifice and commitment of the Nigerian Army in keeping the nation safe in the face the new wave of crimes that have made life very unbearable and miserable for Nigerians for over a decade now.
The speaker also commended the Army for sustaining the war against the Bandits and other insurgents, especially in parts of Niger State and Kontagora in particular, acknowledging that “peace has returned to the state through your resilient efforts”.
He assured the Army of the state government’s support towards restoring enduring peace in the state, adding that “the activities of these enemies of the people have reduced the economic lives of the state to near nothing”
Earlier the Commander of the Nigerian Army Training Center (NATRAC), Kontagora, Major General Lukman Tokunbo Omoniyi said that continuious training of officers and soldiers remain the driving force for the Nigerian Army, pointing out that this is being done regularly through their various training establishments.
According to him, the continued training is in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s command philosophy which is, “to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment”.
He then assured that the Nigerian Army under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen T. A. Lagbaja will continue to discharge it’s constitutional responsibilities to the nation, stressing that the current security situation in the country will soon be a thing of the past.
The speaker was presented with an award of honor by the commander Nigerian Army Training Center (NATRAC), Kontagora, in recognition of his contributions to the Army cantonment Kontagora.
