President Bola Tinubu on Saturday in Kaduna tasked the armed forces to continue to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity against all threats.
He also commended them for their continued dedication to duty and sacrifices made for the peace and stability of the country.
Addressing the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, the president assured the military of government’s commitment to its welfare, and unflinching support in the discharge of its duties.
“Government is pleased to note that the curriculum approved by the National Universities Commission, the regulatory body for universities, for the NDA is sufficiently robust and broad-based.
“It will enable NDA cadets to acquire the knowledge, skills, values, character, and discipline required for effective and efficient service in peace times and in times of crises.
“I understand that other giant strides recorded in the NDA include the establishment of post-graduate programmes; the creation of research centres and Centres of Excellence to facilitate research, and enable cross fertilisation of ideas.
“The consistent academic calendar devoid of industrial disputes and strikes should make NDA’s postgraduate school an institution of first choice for Nigerian and foreign students.
“I challenge the academic staff, both military and non-military, to transform the NDA into Nigeria’s Silicon Valley, a hub for start-ups where ideas are incubated and also actualised,’’ the president said.
Tinubu commended past and present leadership of the NDA for the quality of military and academic training, which had continued to attract clientele from other African nations.
He noted that with the quality of training at the academy, the military was capable of bringing all acts of banditry, insurgency, and criminality in the country to an end.
“Let me also add that although the war against the enemies of Nigeria is not over, it is fair to state that relative peace has been recorded across the major flashpoints.
“These successes have come at a price for the government and the populace. We remember our fallen heroes and those out in the trenches for the sake of our fatherland.
“Let us also celebrate their resilience and sacrifice at this diamond jubilee.
“I urge you to continue to play your constitutional role of safeguarding the territorial integrity of Nigeria, our fatherland,’’ Tinubu said.
He admonished the military to shun acts inimical to the well-being of Nigeria and acts which could destroy the gains of democracy which the country had enjoyed in the last 25 years.
“Government is fully aware of the service and sacrifices that members of the Nigerian Armed Forces have continued to render across the length and breadth of this country.
“This is especially in the face of daunting challenges.
“We, as a government, will continue to accord priority to the needs of the armed forces to enable the military to play its constitutional role without let or hindrance,’’ the president said.
“Let me reiterate the urgency to upscale the fight against insecurity, which has robbed us of peace and progress,
“The relative peace you have been able to secure is worth celebrating.
“However, you must remember that the war is not yet over until the Nigerian flag is hoisted on every parcel of land held by the enemy,’’ he added.
The NDA was established on Feb. 5, 1964 and had undergone various stages of transformation in its quest to fulfil its mandate of training officers for the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Before independence from Britain, Nigeria’s first set of military officers were trained in Ghana and subsequently at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England.
By January 1964, the first batch of 64 army and navy cadets started training at the NDA. (NAN)