By Muhammad Tijjani
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, has charged Army commanders to tackle operational and other problems promptly to avoid complications.
Yahaya gave the charge on Monday at the First Commanding Officers’ Workshop 2023, held at the 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna.
The workshop on “Transformational Leadership”, was organized by Army Headquarters Department of Transformation and Innovation.
The theme of the workshop was “Combat Readiness In Nigerian Army Units: Role Of The Commanding Officers’.
Yahaya, represented by the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf, said overlooking problems lead to compounding it and making situations worse.
The COAS said prompt response to problems would ensure use of minimum resources and manpower to solve.
He however admonished all personnel to ensure that problems are solved through the hierachy of command.
Yahaya said that middle cadre officers were critical to warfare, being at the level where battles and engagements are planned and executed to accomplish operational level objectives.
“It is at this level that we have you the participants as frontline commanders, whose duty is to lead men, sustain their morale, and maintain their fighting spirit in the most lethal and demanding operational environment,” he said.
Yahaya said that the Transformational Leadership Workshop was critical, considering the challenges bedeviling the nation.
The COAS explained that the challenges required unique leadership style embedded in the key tenents of his vision and command philosophy of
professionalism, readiness, sound administration and cooperation.
He therefore urged them to participate actively in the workshop, and maximise what they would learn in the betterment of the nation’s security.
The COAS thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for supporting the Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces in general towards ensuring success in various operations.
He also thanked the Commander in Chief for the current efforts of expanding the formations and units with the corresponding construction and renovation of barracks across the country, and equipping the Nigerian Army.
Yahaya pledged to justify the allocation of resources and goodwill by President Buhari by consistently executing all assigned tasks swiftly and in the most efficient and professional manner.
Earlier, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Akinjobi, said the workshop was designed to improve the role of commanding officers in enhancing the combat readiness of their units to confront contemporary security challenges in the country.
He enjoined all the participants to note the presentations, discussions, criticisms and solutions proffered to further improve professionalism in their units for effective counter terrorism and counter insurgency operations.
Akinjobi thanked the Chief of Army Staff for providing the needed resources to conduct the workshop in the face of competing demands of the Nigerian Army.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the week-long workshop would be accompanied by presentations and syndicate discussion sessions.(NAN)
