President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Saturday urged members of the Armed Forces to discover new approaches and greater sophistication to tackle the security challenges facing the country.
Jonathan made the call at the graduation ceremony of participants of Course 21 of the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja.
Represented by the Senate President, Sen. David Mark, the president said it was evident that national and regional security in the 21st century was determined by forces that were operating within and beyond national borders.
He added that adversaries in the past were easier to identify and confronted in open hostilities.
The president said: “Today, the enemy is usually unseen, hiding behind human shields and despicable ideologies and deploying cyber offensives, in addition to lethal conventional and unconventional armaments.
“Confronting these new threats require new thinking, new approaches and greater sophistication in equipment and capabilities.
“Our Armed Forces must be agile and proactive, by enhancing their capabilities to identify and disrupt before execution, the plans and machinations of these faceless enemies, including their sources of funding, arsenal, training bases and recruitment efforts.’’
He said the Armed Forces must remain eternally vigilant “to reduce our vulnerability as they constantly review their strategies.’’
The president assured the military that government would continue to implement measures to reposition the forces to ensure that they were properly equipped to carry out their constitutional mandate and other responsibilities on behalf of the nation.
Jonathan said that in spite of the challenges confronting the nation, the current administration was determined to reform the economy and the society “so that people can live a better life.
“The covenant we have with our people is to deliver a greater Nigeria that we believe in. We are committed to this and we must deliver it to the coming generations.
“I congratulate the graduating officers of Course 21 and from what I have heard so far, you all have demonstrated the spirit of handwork and commitment during your time at the college.
“You all have also been found to deserve the new prestigious status of the Fellow of the National Defence College (FDC).’’
Earlier, the Commandant of NDC, Rear Adm. Thomas Lokoson, had said that the 131 graduating participants were inaugurated on Sept. 10, 2012.
Lokoson said the participants had been prepared to take up leadership positions in their various places of work.
He added that the participants were privileged to have studied in an environment known for its high standard of discipline, moral value and excellence in academics.
“We expect that you will continue to live up to these high standards as you are leaving the National Defence College with various experiences.
“I urge you to apply these experiences positively and always give good account of yourselves at all times, knowing that where you are coming from is known for its high standard and commitment to excellence,’’ Jonathan said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the course consist of 131 participants with 50 in the Nigerian Army, 35 in the Nigerian Navy, 24 in Nigerian Air Force as well as two each from Nigeria Police and Department of State Security.
Others are one participant each from the ministries of Defence, Finance , Foreign Affairs, Federal Road Safety Commission, National Defence College, Nigeria Prisons Service and the National Intelligence Agency.
NAN also reports that 11 international participants from Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Central Africa Republic, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Niger Republic, Sierra-Leone and Togo also took part in the course.
Meanwhile, 130 of the 131 participants graduated as one of the participants could not make the required grades.
The best overall participant, Navy Capt. Seth Amoama from Ghana, said the course had widened their horizon and they had learnt a lot that would better equip them with responsibility at both operational and strategic level.
Amoama said being the best graduating student meant there was transparency in assessing the participants.
