The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) has constructed two types of ventilators, hand wash and hand sanitizer to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The academy said the production was also aimed at ending the shortage of some essential equipment needed to fight the pandemic, adding that the high cost of foreign-made ventilators and the present difficulties associated with procuring them was hampering the health sector.
To this end, the commandant, Major General Jamil Sarham, constituted a team of engineers, technologists and technicians from the Mechatronics Department headed by Major Abubakar Suraj Imam, to develop affordable ventilators within the shortest possible time, using readily available components.
Imam, who is also head of the Department of Mechatronics, said it took his team about one week to design and produce the two ventilators: “The academy has the capacity to produce 30 ventilators, namely, NDA Type 1 and NDA Type 2, under one month.
“The NDA Type 1 ventilator is a fully automated system with an interactive user-interface and four potentio metres for adjusting air and oxygen parameters. The NDA Type 2 is also fully automated, operates with a 2-KVA self-sustaining onboard inverter equipped with a military-grade lithium battery. Both prototypes were subjected to a series of technical performance evaluation tests with impressive results.”
Sarham, elated, commended the team for its efforts and pledged his support to research and development in the academy.
AWCN sends off officers
The Army War College, Nigeria, (AWCN) has sent off some of its officers recently posted out of the college.
Commandant of the college, Major-General Charles Ofoche, while congratulating the officers for their new appointments, commended them for their services while at the AWCN. He said their contributions towards the advancement of the college made it what it is today, urging them to continue to render the same service in their new locations.
Director of administration, Brigadier General Abubakar Ahmed, said the event was to celebrate the senior officers for the service rendered to the college.
…Gets medical equipment from Shipi
Brigadier-General Gakji Shipi has donated some medical equipment to the Army War College, Nigeria (AWCN), and the Guards Brigade Medical Centre, Abuja. The items, comprising wheelchairs, stethoscopes and crutches, were aimed at improving the quality of medical service in the college and the brigade medical centre.
Shipi, a member of faculty of the college, said he was inspired by the leadership qualities of the commandant of the college, who happened to serve at 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, Ondo State, as Chief of Staff, while in service.
He said the commandant, who was the brigade commander at the time, made tremendous efforts at improving facilities in the barracks and welfare of troops and their families.
Infantry school trains 1,106 special troops
A total of 1,106 Special Forces personnel of the Nigerian Army who underwent the Starter Point Integrated Services (SPIS) training have graduated from the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Jaji, Kaduna State.
The soldiers, drawn from 81, 198 and 199 Special Forces battalions, received training in close contact combat, skills at arms, unexpected incident operations, and first aid, among others, for 12 weeks.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, commended them for their hard work, resilience and discipline during the training and urged them to demonstrate these wherever they were deployed.
Represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Lieutenant-General Lamidi Adeosun, Buratai charged the troops to put their special skills to use in meeting the operational objectives of Nigerian Army and the country at large, adding that Nigerians were appreciative of their sacrifices.
He urged them to make a difference in the theatre of operation: “Infantry school will be monitoring your performances in the field through the Nigerian Army feedback monitoring system.”
150 caddies receive palliatives
The Tukur Yusuf Buratai (TYB) International Golf Club has distributed food items to 150 caddies of the club to cushion the sufferings caused by the lockdown imposed by the Federal Government over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The palliatives, organised in conjunction with the Goodluck Ebele International Golf Club, comprised 10 bags of rice, detergents, hand sanitizers and other foodstuff.
Chairman of the club, Chief of Policy and Plans, Lieutenant-General Lamidi Adeosun, said the gesture was to show that members of club, who were mostly senior military officers, cared about the wellbeing of the caddies, who were mostly barracks children.
“One of the visions of the TYB Golf Club and its patron is the positive engagement of barracks boys and youths from nearby communities, to mentor them and ensure they turn out to be better citizens in future. It is also to assist them attain sporting heights in future,” he said.
Adeosun noted that the COVID-19 lockdown had impacted negatively on the caddies and their families, adding that members tasked themselves to do something for the caddies at this time of need.
He urged them to shun all social vices and obey all instructions by the government against the pandemic.