By Emma Obe
The fight against sea piracy, operations of artisanal refineries and pipeline vandalism now constitutes the focus of the operations of the Nigerian military in the Niger Delta Region.
The Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (Rtd.) stated this at the Nigerian Naval College, Onne, Rivers State during the passing out of 1,215 naval trainees on Saturday.
Magashi, who was represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, said the naval personnel were being commissioned at a time when the security challenges of the nation had become critical and they must brace up to the challenges.
The defence minister said, “A lot will be expected of you as newly commissioned officers especially in the light of contemporary security challenges that are facing our nation currently. These challenges call for dedication, selflessness, gallantry and professionalism, which are core values that you all have imbibed in the course of your training herein the college.”
He however assured that government will always provide logistics and welfare of the personnel of the armed forces personnel despite the challenging times.
The commandant of Nigerian Naval College, Onne, Commodore Olukayode Ayovon, asked the cadets to become enviable professionals, given the content of their training. “As it is expected, the training of these cadets came with certain challenges. I am however pleased to report that in spite of these challenges, the college was able to deliver on the objectives of each of the training package of the officer cadet.”
A total of 1,215 personnel, 45 of them were experienced ratings, while 1,170 passed out as ratings. The naval trainees were exposed to warship economy, weapon handling, physical fitness, information management, administration and survival at sea to equip them for the task ahead.
