The Naval War College Nigeria (NWCN) has graduated 21 officers of the Command Level Officers’ Course 5 after a three weeks intensive training in Calabar.
At the graduation ceremony on Friday in Calabar, Rear Adm. Ibrahim Dewu, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, said that the College has carved a niche for itself.
He said that it has become a centre of excellence and reckonable citadel of knowledge in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Dewu said that the College was also an acclaimed institution of learning for moulding and refining the leadership acumen in subordinate commanders.
He said that the course was designed to prepare officers of the command level category for command responsibility afloat and ashore.
The FOC told the graduands that the Nigeria’s maritime domain was beset with plethora of illegalities and threats that affect the overall security of the country and impacts negatively on the nation’s economy.
According to him, the threats were not peculiar to Nigeria alone, as maritime threats are fluid and transnational, hence requiring comprehensive knowledge-based mitigation.
“Consequently, there are greater demands on you, the tactical and operational level commanders of the Nigerian Navy.
“Furthermore, the Nigerian Navy has become increasingly engaged in various internal security operations across the country to checkmate rising insecurity occasioned by insurgency in the Northeast, banditry, kidnapping and sectarian agitation in other parts of our nation.
“Our involvement in these operations added to the traditional role of ensuring a secure maritime domain, demand that you, the tactical commanders apply robust leadership, critical thinking and quick decision making processes.
“I want you to bear in mind that as you graduate today, you will be given responsibilities that would challenge and test the knowledge and skills you have acquired here.
“You must, therefore, brace up to these challenges and prove your mettle as worthy ambassadors of the Naval War College Nigeria,” he said.
Acting Commandant of the College, Commodore Abolade Ogunleye, said that the course was geared towards enhancing effectiveness in command, leadership and management on the graduands.
Ogunleye added that in the past three weeks, they have focused on self-awareness, ethics, communication skills and contemporary approaches to management of men, materiel and resources.
“I am therefore convinced that you the graduates, have imbibed these noble objectives and will be more effective in the discharge of command responsibilities at the tactical and operational levels.
“Looking back at what has been achieved by the College since it took over the conduct of the Command Level Course in 2019, I must state that this graduation ceremony in honour Command Level Course 5 participants marks yet another milestone for the Naval War College Nigeria.
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“At this point, I must state that the conceptualisation, planning and execution of this Course was in tandem with the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. AZ Gambo.
“The Chief of the Naval Staff therefore, envisions that tactical and operational level commanders personify the Nigerian Navy core values of teamwork, integrity and professionalism to engender a motivated workforce,” he said.
He encouraged the graduands that as they take up tactical level leadership appointments, they must not forget the basics of the knowledge-based approach to leadership that they were taught in the College.
“Always remember the tenets of critical and systems thinking, ethical reasoning, emotional intelligence as well as legal dimension to military operations amongst other leadership tools.
“Let the knowledge and understanding that you have acquired in the College be your guiding principles as you function in the rapidly changing volatile, uncertain as well as complex and ambiguous contemporary military operating environment,” he said.
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