Former chief of army staff Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd) has urged officers and soldiers of the Nigeria Army to always be ready to give their best to the service of the country.
He said they must also take their training very seriously as it was the bedrock of professionalism, which would determine the progress they make in their careers.
Ihejirika gave the advice yesterday at the graduation lecture of students of Senior of Course 45 of the AFCSC, at the Jaji Military Cantonment in Kaduna State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ex-Army Chief lectured on the topic ‘Maximising Command and Staff College Training for a Fulfilling Career in the Armed Forces of Nigeria’.
He said the training spanned the entire career of officers, and was meant to develop their leadership capacities.
“The command and staff training, which you are all attending now, is globally regarded as a key component of a military officers’ contemporary Professional Military Education,” Ihejirika added.
He said the military has always been a noble profession that demanded a high level of professionalism.
“This has been so because of the huge demands placed on it to fulfill its constitutional roles to defend the people, uphold the constitution and secure the nation’s territorial integrity.
“In the military, the journey to the top could be tortuous, but with hard work, endurance and perseverance, it could be attainable.
“As you leave this college in a few days, the choice is yours on how fulfilling, exciting and rewarding you want your career to end.
“I am proud to state that this college has given you the fundamentals that you need to move and progress all the way to the top of your career, like it was given to me some 31 years ago.”
Ihejirika therefore charged them to continue to build on the training through continuous personal development and effective performance in all their subsequent deployments.
“The military career path demands that at any point in time, you either serve on the staff, command or instructions; in any of these, you must prepare your mind and adopt the right mode to achieve overall mission objectives.
“Remember the choices you make every step on the way defines you and determine whether you will have a fulfilling career or not.”
The former army chief told the participants that the military expects them to use what they learnt “to think, identify problems and work out logical solutions”, as their ranks of majors and lieutenant colonels are the engine room of the services.
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