ARMY CHIEF COUNSELS TROOPS ON LOGISTICS
Military personnel have been urged to work towards ensuring accurate logistics estimate in order to adequately support troops in mission areas.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Abdurahman Dambazau gave the charge during the graduation ceremony of Nigeria Army College of Logistics (NACOL) Staff Course 2010 recently held in Lagos.
The Chief of Army Staff, who was represented by Major-General Godwin George Umoh, noted that the knowledge of logistics was vital for effective planning, maintenance and sustenance of a force in peace or wartime. According to him, it is important to continue to pursue with vigour, the development of middle-level cadre officers on the rudiments of logistics to meet up with contemporary challenges in the conduct of military operation, especially against the backdrop of technological advancement.
He, however, urged them to achieve cost minimization in the execution of projects, while ensuring value for money. While charging the college not to rest on its oars but continue to strive for excellence in order to realize the visions of its founding fathers, General Dambazau also commended the commandant of the college for the effort put in to publish the maiden edition of the Beaver Magazine. He urged the graduating students to tackle logistics problems through the knowledge they had acquired in the course of the training.
According to the Commandant of the college, Major-General Timothy Oliomogbe, the graduating students commenced training on January 9 this year with 18 officers drawn from Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Airforce, going through rigorous academic and field trainings. Major-General Oliomogbe, while congratulating the outgoing students observed that the college remained the best military training institute in the country having inculcated knowledge of logistics and management in military officers and civilians in its years of existence.
Captain E. Efebokha won the best overall student, as he emerged the best in Military Information Technology Department, Management and General Studies, Logistics Management, General Studies, Tactics and Logistics Plans. It was, however, gathered that the college, which was established in 2002, had graduated over 298 military and police officers including civilians in both the Logistics Management and Logistics Staff Course.
In other development, the Chief of Army Staff disclosed that the Nigerian Army, through Direct Labour Project, have renovated barracks, such as the construction of Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Barracks, Abuja, AHQ Command Officers' Mess, Abuja and the Central Medical Stores. Also, the Nigerian Army Museum, Abuja, the 44 Reference Hospital, Kaduna, have all been rehabilitated.