From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, said it has trained 2,549 participants on strategic and other necessary skills since its inception in 1992.
The participants include senior military officers from both the Nigerian armed forces and foreign military, senior police officers and civil servants from ministries, departments, parastatals and agencies.
Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir, made this known at a media briefing to mark the 30th-anniversary celebrations and graduation ceremony of participants of Course 30 of the college in Abuja.
Represented by the Deputy Commandant of the college, Major General Victor Onumajuru, at the occasion, the Commandant, said the college which was established in 1992, to train senior military officers and civilians to operate on a strategic level, has recorded tremendous successes in both national and foreign defence diplomacy. He said that the college as a centre of excellence in the conduct of peace support operations at the strategic level, works keenly with both the African Union and ECOWAS in advancing peace support operations, particularly as regards the theoretical components that advance these missions at the strategic levels.
Read also: Mercy Abu: 1,000 youths to be trained in shoemaking, fashion, make-up, others
“So we pride ourselves in advancing our defence Diplomacy and ultimately the national foreign policy of the country.”
He said: “The mandate of the college is to train selected seniour military officers their counterparts from strategic ministries department parastatals and agencies and also the police to be able to operate at the strategic levels both within the country and outside the country.
“So we insist that our participants understand how to use the elements of national powers to be able to achieve strategic objectives. That is the mandate of the college and that is what we try to achieve. The college has achieved several landmarks since its establishment in 1992 and recorded several sucess stories.
“To date, we have graduated over 2,589 participants.
“Within these participants are 254 international participants from various countries of the world, 216, from strategic ministries, departments, parastatals and agencies and 92 participants from the Nigerian police force
“Among these participants are those that have reached the pinnacle of their careers both in the ministries, the Armed Forces and the police.
“Secondly the college as it is is a key arm of national defence diplomacy because of the level of interaction between the college and members of the armed forces from foreign countries. So we pride ourselves in advancing our defence Diplomacy and ultimately the national foreign policy of the country.
Continuing, he said: “The college too is a centre of excellence in the conduct of peace support operations at the strategic level. In this regard, we have key partners in African Union and ECOWAS in advancing peace support operations, particularly as regards the theoretical components that advance these missions at the strategic levels.”
He listed activities lined up for the graduation ceremony and anniversary celebrations to include
sports competition, jumat and church services, tombola, golf kitties, medical outreach, dinner and award night, graduation lecture, with the president of Rwanda Paul Kigami as the guest speaker, induction of participants into ANDEC, and the graduation ceremony on August 5, which will have president Mohammad Buhari as the special guest of honour.