DISCIPLINE, GOOD LEADERSHIP INDISPENSABLE TO VIBRANT ARMED FORCES – DIKE

Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike has said that discipline and good leadership at all levels remain the pillar upon which the aspirations of the Nigerian armed forces rest.

He has, therefore, called on the top echelon of the Nigeria armed forces to remain committed and not waver in their resolve to embrace the virtue of good leadership.

Air Chief Marshal Dike, while speaking at his pulling out ceremony held at the Mogadishu cantonment in Abuja, told members of the armed forces where he spent 37 years of his life to be more committed and resolute in their quest to 'bequeath to our future generations and generations yet unborn, a Nigerian military that will live up to the true meaning of its name.'

Recalling how he joined the Nigerian Air Force as a young officer in 1974, Dike said he had no inkling of what destiny had in store for him as he rose through the various ranks and appointments to reach the pinnacle of his career and thanked the God for seeing him through his years in service.

As a young officer, Dike said he realized that human resources were central to whatever one hoped to achieve as a fighting force because, according to him, 'we are living in an era of ideas and we belong to an organization that must innovate and modernize in order to remain abreast of emerging trends.'

The former CDS, who said he was fully confident the present leadership of the Nigerian armed forces had what it takes to pilot the military to the promised land, however, noted that leadership in itself was about people, organization and environment and that it encompassed courage, knowledge, wisdom, patience, compassion, understanding, intergrity, discipline and vision driven by ideas and free mind.

He, however, pointed out that as simple as these principles of leadership may appear, they were difficult to imbibe.

He said, 'I must humbly observe that these imperatives have been the guiding principles in my career that has largely defined my leadership style.'