President Bola Tinubu has assured that his administration will complete the permanent site of the National Defence College, NDC, to enable it continue to offer strategic training for the military, paramilitary organisations and allied nations.
Tinubu gave the assurance at the graduation of 99 participants of Course 33, held at the college in Abuja, yesterday.
The participants of NDC Course 33 comprised 25 officers from the Nigerian Army, 16 from the Nigerian Navy, 12 from the Nigerian Air Force, five from the Nigeria Police Force, 18 from ministries, departments and agencies, as well as 23 international participants
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu said when fully equipped, the college would evolve into a Defence Postgraduate University.
He added that he has directed the commandant of the college to work closely with the Minister of Defence to develop a clear strategy to upgrade the facilities.
Tinubu said, “While government explores further interventions to enhance infrastructure, I have been briefed on the state of infrastructure at the permanent site in Piwoyi. While progress has been made, much remains to be done.
“I assure you that this administration is committed to completing the permanent site, to ensure that the college continues to deliver strategic training not only for Nigeria, but also for allied nations.”
The president urged the graduants to be worthy ambassadors of the college, uphold its motto, which speaks of Excellence, Courage, Patriotism and Integrity.
According to him, those values lie at the compass for a successful career.
“To our friends from other nations, I encourage you to sustain the friendships you have built in Nigeria and to let them grow into bridges of cooperation and solidarity between your nations and ours,” he said.
Tinubu noted that the college represents the finest expression of the country’s commitment to build human capital in areas critical to national survival.
He commended the commandant, management team and the faculty for their dedication to grooming “this distinguished set of strategic leaders for our Armed Forces, for Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The president said, “And for the friendly nations represented on this course. I also salute the dignitaries and friends of the college whose presence here today adds dignity to this occasion.
“To the participants of Course 33, I extend my heartfelt congratulations. I am well aware of the rigour and intensity of your 48 weeks of study and the resilience it required.
“To emerge today as fellows of this great institution is an accomplishment of which you must be deeply proud. We are gathered here to honour your commitment, endurance and your devotion to a worthy cause.
“I have directed that relevant stakeholders study your recommendations and harvest the strategies you proposed, because strengthening indigenous manufacturing is indispensable to our nation’s security and development.”
The Commandant of the College, Rear Admiral James Okosun, said the participants had been equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills to address complex security and developmental challenges.
He added that the training was delivered through a comprehensive curriculum of nine modules, covering areas such as research methodology, science and technology, policy analysis, strategic leadership development and crisis simulation.
He said the curriculum combined lectures, seminars, simulations, study tours and research work, while Course 33 focused on the overarching theme: “National Security and Development in Nigeria.”
Okosun explained that the higher management of the defence module featured national crisis simulations and critical reviews of current defence and security policies.
He said, “This year’s exercise examined issues such as banditry in the North West, separatist agitation in the South East and oil theft in the Niger Delta.
“The participants were also trained in public speaking, strategic assessments and policy implementation.
“We are confident that they are well prepared to offer implementable solutions to national, regional and global challenges.”
Okosun noted that, in addition to their individual research projects, the participants jointly produced a group research paper titled ‘Connecting Indigenous Manufacturing for National Security and Development: Strategic Options for Nigeria by 2040.’
