PROTOCOLS
I am very proud and very pleased to be here today on this occasion of the passing out of the 62nd Regular Course and Short Service Course 43 (Army) officer cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
2. This passing out ceremony is special to me as it is the first to hold since the assumption of office of my administration. It also comes a year after the history-making Golden Jubilee celebrations exactly one year ago. The successful training of cadets over the years is a clear manifestation of your hard work and dedication to duty. By this, the Nigerian Defence Academy has once again justified the vision and wisdom of our Founding Fathers in establishing this institution.
3. I note that the Academy has consistently proved its worth over the past 51 years by turning out well trained and well disciplined officers for the Armed Forces of our great country. It is a matter of national pride that the Nigerian Defence Academy has, over the years, also trained and graduated cadets from a number of sister African countries. These include the Republic of Liberia, Uganda and Togo. Others are Central African Republic, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.
4. Successive Nigerian Governments have developed our armed forces into one that is well trained, efficient and equipped to meet national security challenges. Our government is determined to confront current challenges and long term plans for the development of the Armed forces.
5. The execution of an excellent parade such as the one we have just witnessed requires tremendous hard work, high standard of discipline, rigorous training and rehearsal. I am proud to note that the Academy has consistently adopted best global practices in both military and academic training of the cadets. This has indeed reflected in the world class training the Nigerian Defence Academy offers.
6. It is little wonder that the Academy has earned a solid reputation as the pioneer military university in Africa. This no doubt justifies the nation’s huge investment in this institution. Let me, therefore extend my well deserved congratulations to the Commandant, staff and gentlemen cadets of the Academy on this memorable occasion.
7. For you, the passing out cadets, today marks the end of your very tough training in the Academy and the beginning of your career as officers in the Armed Forces. As you are aware, some of those who started the course with you discontinued because they could not withstand the rigours of the physical, mental and intellectual challenges which you gallantly endured.
8. I heartily congratulate you for the successful completion of your training. You have every right to feel proud and fulfilled on an occasion like this. Based on the high quality of training you have received here at the Nigerian Defence Academy, I have no doubt that you will have no difficulty fitting into the activities of the various Services into which you will be commissioned. You must therefore be prepared to play your roles as junior leaders in tackling the prevailing security challenges with guidance and supervision from your superiors who are discharging their duties with diligence.
9. Furthermore, the nation demands of you exemplary conduct and professionalism wherever you are deployed, be it locally on internal security operation missions or internationally in Peace Support Operation missions around the world.
10. Distinguished invited guests, permit me at this point to remind these young men and women that security remains the most important challenge in this Administration’s “Change” programme. The objectives our fight against terrorism cannot be realized without a credible and effective military. On your shoulders therefore lies the mechanism to drive the junior leadership in our Armed Forces. The Armed Forces of Nigeria have a world-acclaimed reputation for valour, resilience and loyal service.
11. As you will shortly be granted the highly coveted Presidential Commission, I urge you to emulate the good examples of your senior colleagues in the field. You must avoid any behavior that will tarnish your honour and dignity as commissioned officers. Your commitment and loyalty to the Armed Forces and the Nation must be total. You must strive to live up to the demand and expectations required of you.
12. I am aware that your training at the Nigerian Defence Academy has sufficiently prepared you to key into and become the main drivers of attitudinal change which remains a cardinal principle of Nigerian Armed Forces development process.
13. I therefore, urge you to take your roles in the on-going process of rebuilding our Armed Forces very seriously. The Federal Government is pleased with the Armed Forces resolve to end the insurgency facing the country today once and for all. We are determined to honour our obligation to support the speedy provision of platforms and equipment within available resources to achieve both this objective and long term needs of the Armed Forces. You should also be encouraged by the growing support our neighbours and the global community have recently pledged to our renewed counterinsurgency efforts.
14. We acknowledge the cooperation of our neighbours in the Lake Chad Basin Commission for their re-commitment to the Multi-National Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) whose activities helped push out the insurgents from Nigerian territory earlier in the year. My recent visits to the Republics of Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Benin were intended to further strengthen this inevitable regional approach to counterinsurgency.
15. In addition to their recent U$5 million pledge, the United States Government has also committed to deepening its collaboration with our Armed Forces in intelligence and training. Similarly, other countries, namely Canada, France, United Kingdom, China and Germany have pledged to support our efforts to defeat the insurgents.
16. As you go into your formations and the field, I wish to remind you of Federal Government commitment to overhaul the rules of engagement and improve operational and legal mechanisms so that disciplinary steps are taken against proven human rights violations by the armed forces. We are committed to a thorough investigation of recent and any future occurrences of human rights violations by elements of our Armed Forces.
17. While I applaud the integrity and sterling record of the Armed Forces as an institution, this administration will insist on the rule of law, and deal with any proven cases of deviation from laws of armed conflict (LOAC), including human rights abuses. In operational conduct Nigerians expect our Armed Forces to keep law and order and not to behave like bullies.
18. The Commandant, distinguished Guests, graduands, let me reiterate the administration’s renewed commitment to due process, merit and total observance of the rule of law as central pillars of a prosperous and democratic society. Rule of law as an element of good governance applies to the Armed Forces as much as any institution in our country. It is therefore gratifying to note that recently all three Services have taken steps to not only emphasize on strict adherence to rules in area of recruitment, promotions, procurement, project executions, and more importantly, in civil-military relations.
19. May I now share my joy with families and friends of the passing out cadets? Without your prayers, love and emotional support, these cadets would not have been able to remain committed and focused throughout the duration of their training. However, I would like to quickly remind you that the more difficult part of the journey is about to begin. I therefore enjoin you to continue your prayers and support towards keeping them on the path of honour, probity and integrity so as to enhance their prospects of rising to the pinnacle of their careers of defending the nation.
Commandant, Your Excellencies,
20. I would like to commend the NDA Leadership for reminding everybody that NDA is a Professional Military Education (PME) institution. In this regard, serious efforts have been made to ensure that academic endeavors must necessarily relate and serve the professional needs of the military. I expect that ongoing efforts to review all academic courses of study towards enhancing the professional education capacity of the military will soon be completed. The message of these ongoing reviews, which I hereby reiterate, is that Nigeria is blessed with many civil universities.
21. NDA must therefore carve out a niche for itself as a military research university because of its uniqueness, instead of mirror-imaging and competing with civil universities. That is why I want to recognize and commend the current Commandant for continuing to support the new Centres of Excellence established by his predecessor.
22. These include the Centre of Leadership and Complex Operations, the Centre for Critical Thinking, Teaching and Learning, the Center for Languages, the Institute for Psychology and the Institute of Advanced Technology Applications. To drive these new programmes, a new Faculty of Military Science and Interdisciplinary Studies (FMSIS) and Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) were initiated.
23. We look forward to these Centres maturing to begin to study, research, build capacities and suggest solutions to the burning leadership issues and challenges of our time. I will be remiss if I fail to express appreciation for the Academy’s partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) since April 2015 to absorb and provide counselling and rehabilitation services to over 300 Internally Displaced widows and orphans under the “Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Programme,” a “soft approach” to combating terrorism developed by the Federal Government.
24. Let me assure you that the Federal Government will continue to work towards facilitation of the completion of the NDA’s Permanent Site.
25. Finally, I congratulate the Commandant and staff of the Academy, once again, on the successful training of yet another set of future leaders for our Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Liberia, Benin Republic and Central African Republic. I urge you to remain steadfast in your uncommon task of producing world-class officers who will continue to bring home laurels for the Nigerian Defence Academy and for Nigerians.
Thank you.
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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