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…charges troops to be focused, professional in tackling insecurity

By Evelyn Usman

Chief of the Army Staff, COAS Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaha, has assured troops in different theatres of operations across the country of his resolve to sustain prompt payment of their allowances, as a boost for optimal discharge of their constitutional responsibility.

This is just as he has charged them to be focused, disciplined and professional as they tackle insecurity.

The COAS gave the assurance while declaring open the Nigerian Army Finance Corps Warrant Officer/Senior Non-Commissioned training week for Warrant officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers training week 2021, at Nebo hall, Abati barracks, Ojuelegba Laos, yesterday.

The training week according to the COAS who was represented by the General Officer Commanding, GOC 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu, was designed to improve the capability   and competency of Warrant officers and Senior non commissioned officers as well as  enable them operate optimally as a vital link between officers and soldiers.

He stated that for the Nigerian Army to remain competitive in the 21st century, it  must continue to develop requisite skills and competences that would  make it ever ready to achieve its constitutional mandate.

He said, “In view of the contemporary security challenges in Nigeria, the Nigerian Army must remain focused, disciplined and professional in dealing with these challenges, especially in a joint environment. Thus, the development and deployment of physical capability will contribute significantly to the defense and security of our nation.

“The Nigerian Army must of necessity be creative and improve its problem solving skill to be able to defeat all forms of adversaries, particularly non-state actors. To achieve this, the prudent utilization of finance and  indeed all resources can never be over emphasized , especially in the state of building national resources”

In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the COAS said the  theme of the  training week was  aptly crafted as ‘Repositioning Nigerian Army Finance Corp: Warrant Officers, Senior Non-Commissioned Officers for professional and innovative financial service delivery to the Nigerian Army’.

He advised the Corps to provide professional and innovative financial services in line with financial and  other  extant regulations , expressing delight that  the  training week  was  taking place at a time where there was  a greater demand for openness, prudence, accountability in the use of  public funds.

The COAS explained that “the prudent and efficient use of the public fund also becomes compelling given the anti corruption drive of the Federal Government  of Nigeria as well as dwindling national revenue due to the advert effect of global Covid-19 pandemic.

We need to be more open in managing the scarce resources that are allocated to the Nigerian Army and  we need to be more open to justifying whatever has been appropriated to us.

“I would like to acknowledge the Nigerian Army Finance Corps’ efforts towards an effective delivery of quality professional financial advisory tasks and taking special note of the positive reform towards the prompt payment of troops operation  allowances across the spectrum of operation and other related allowances in the Nigerian Army.

“Payment of men that are in various theaters of operation has always been going on very well. It is  going to be sustained . As long  as we receive whatever that is required from the federal government of Nigeria, we  on  our  part, will do the needful”, the COAS stated.

In his opening remarks, the Chief of Account and Budgeting, Nigerian Army, Major General Adekunle Adesope, explained that the  training week was designed to strengthen and improve the performance of Warrant officers and senior non commissioned officers in executing their core functions as the vital link between officers, soldiers and junior leadership in the Nigerian Army.

 The fundamental objective of this particular training according to him,  aligned  a with the imperative of the Finance  Corps mantra “which is  to professionally and relatively discharge financial services in support of all Nigerian Army constitutional duties.

“This has become expedient considering the dynamics of the contemporary environment that places a premium on requisite expertise in meaningful decision making and complex strategic thinking in prioritizing need due to acutely scarce resources.

“Expectedly, the \warrant officers and senior non commissioned officers training is coming against the backdrop of a mirage of security challenges besetting our nation.

Relevant topics have been carefully selected for deliberation to achieve the aim of the theme for this year’s training week. It is believed that the training will provide the prerequisite for improving skills and professional capability of  participants in the very changing financial sector which is highly regulated and guided  by government policy and internationally accepted best practices.

“Your roles are quite distinct and very important, being the link between the soldiers and junior leadership in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army towards the attainment of our premium objective for this year”, Maj.GenAdesope stated.

Vanguard News Nigeria