Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai has visited the Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji on a one day working visit to asses the level of a tailor made Special Forces training comprising of elements of 81 Battalion and newly formed 198 and 199 Special Forces Battalions.
According to Maj Gen Kevin Aligbe the Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), – “the officers and soldiers of these special units commenced the training on the 20th of January, 2020”.
“The training which is for three consecutive months would be rounded off in the next two weeks”.
While addressing the troops, the COAS explicitly enjoined the trainees to make the best use of the special training and new skills acquired which will certainly be useful in the course of their current and future deployments in the Nigerian Army.
The extensively rigorous special training was facilitated by the StarterPoint Integrated Services.
While going round the training area, General Buratai was visibly impressed with the level of organization, discipline and training which border on tactics, skills at arms, rescue operation, first aid, navigation, surveillance as well as survival skills.
The trainees were equally elated to see the COAS in their midst. They promised to give in their best as they look forward to their deployment in any part, – within or outside Nigeria.
The trainees will graduate soon. To further demonstrate the importance of physical fitness to military profession, the COAS led the troops to special forces’ push ups where the troops again became proudly excited.
Thereafter, Gen Buratai proceeded to inspect the Nature Conservation Area initiated by NASI. The Conservation Area which is being developed within a themed park-zoo would provide a place for curiosity, research, leisure and entertainment when finally completed.
Before leaving Jaji Military Cantonment, the COAS and his entourage also inspected ongoing projects at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Center.
The last stop over during the visit was at the Command Engineering Depot Kaduna where the COAS also inspected various locally made armoured fighting vehicles at different levels of completion.
The COAS commended and enjoined the Commander and his staff to keep up the ingenious work which have saved the Nation huge amount of foreign exchange which would have been spent on importation of similar vehicles.
This feat is in furtherance of the Federal Government’s Local Content Policy and the necessity of the service to manufacture some of its war fighting equipment especially that the same equipment are not easily acquirable in the open/international market.