Members of Direct Regular Commission (DRC4/93) Association on Saturday celebrated their 30th anniversary and pledged to harness their diverse expertise for national security and development.
The chairman of the association, Brig.- Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman (rtd) said the body would leverage on the diverse professional composition of its members for the greatness of Nigeria.
“Reunions and anniversary celebrations among course mates hold great importance and significance, as they allow members and families to reconnect, reminisce about fond memories of the training years and after, and further enhance their relationship.
“This is the 30th anniversary celebration and reunion, we are leveraging on the diverse expertise of the membership of this course as you can see, we are professionals in various fields of endeavour. We’ll continue to contribute for the betterment of society. It’s kind of work in progress in the sense that we’ll harmonise the expertise of all these members to see how we can contribute better to national development, peace and security.”
He recalled that the formative period at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI) Jaji period was very challenging but very rewarding “ you can see after 30 years we are still waxing stronger, we still have some of our colleagues who are in the Army, some have left and you can see many of them are outside the country, others are even working with the UN and other international bodies so it is a thing of joy, a thing of joy to have these wonderful people around. Some of them we have not seen for the past 30 years but you can understand the level of friendship as if it was just yesterday that we saw each other.”
He said the anniversary was also meant to strengthen the bond that develops among them. “This is true for us at the DRC 04/93 Association because not only have we become friends, but we have also become brothers and sisters, with our families forming lasting connections.”
“With a spirit of camaraderie and unity, let us also engage in constructive discussions that will help reposition our association to cater for the well-being of our members and contribute more meaningfully to national development, peace, and security in our beloved country, Nigeria. Together, we can make a difference,” he said.
In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Brig-Gen. Tunde Ogbeha (rtd) commended them for their contributions to national development and tasked them to put in place legacies that will outlive them.
Tunde who was the commandant at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI) in Jaji during their training days said, “There are no memories to talk about during your training period but we have to do what we did in order to keep you in shape for your future assignments.”
He commended members of the association for working together for the common good and welfare of all members at the end of their service “particularly when members of this association are from different sectors of the economy not necessarily like our own course that are regular officers, purely infantry. We don’t know anything other than management of violence. But for you, you have people who are doctors, engineers, nurses and professionals who have actually held very responsible positions in the NA today.
“I’m sure you have contributed so much to the progress and development of the Nigerian Army to the extent that some of you are still consultants to the Army in different forms and shapes.
“You still have services to render to this nation.”
He commended the initiative which he said was aimed at promoting comradeship irrespective of ethnic or religious backgrounds.
“That is the beauty of the military, you don’t think of where you come from but you think about your colleague. I know growing up in the military for 2,3 years even my roommate I didn’t know where he was from and the only way you will know whether somebody is a Christian or Muslim is when you are marched to the Church or when you are marched to the mosque on Fridays, the Muslims are marched to the mosque and on Sunday the Roman Catholic and the protestants are marched to church.”
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