President Bola Tinubu has charged the participants of the National Defence College (NDC) Course 32, to be vigilant and proactive in addressing the myriad of regional and global threats.
Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the call at the graduation of the participants on Friday in Abuja.
He said the college had adequately equipped the participants with the requisite knowledge and strategies and charged them to rise to the occasion in addressing the prevailing national security challenges.
“We must remain vigilant and proactive in addressing regional and global threats as we progress.
“We must also continue to promote democratic values and uphold democratic principles in our country and across the continent.
“As the current chair of ECOWAS, we will do all necessary to strengthen ties and resolve present negations within the community,’’ he said.
The president commended the college for sustaining excellence, courage, patriotism and integrity, pledging to ensure adequate support for the institution to move to its permanent site as soon as possible.
He also acknowledged the exceptional service and dedication of members of the armed forces in protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity and safeguarding the lives and properties of its citizens.
He pledged the commitment of his administration to address all the prevailing security, social and economic challenges confronting the country.
“I will continue to do everything within my constitutional powers to ensure that the Nigerian military is well-resourced and capable.
“As a government, we are sensitive to our people’s challenges and we will continue to actively intervene in matters that can affect our citizens.
“Recently, we have made significant strides in addressing some of these challenges.
“We have implemented a new national minimum wage, which will benefit not only civilian workers but also personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies.
“We are also working tirelessly to counter the menace of the crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.”
According to him, this will lead to increase in our oil production and achieve our desired economic standards.
“We are committed to creating an enabling business environment that encourages value addition in our mining sector.
“We are working with international partners to develop a strategy that will harness this sector’s potential for national security,’’ he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the college graduated a total of 111 participants drawn from the armed forces of Nigeria and those of other 19 friendly nations.
The participants were also drawn from the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies as well strategic ministries, departments and agencies of government. (NAN
