General Lagbaja gave the charge on Friday while addressing the graduating troops during the graduation ceremony at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kachia in Kaduna state.
The Nigerian Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has charged fresh graduates from the Nigerian Army training to apply the skills and knowledge they gained from their months of training in fighting and combating insecurity in the country.
General Lagbaja gave the charge on Friday while addressing the graduating troops during the graduation ceremony at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kachia in Kaduna state.
The COAS said that after months of rigorous training, they had become battle ready troops to confront insecurity in the country.
The graduation ceremony featured practical demonstration of military drills, showcasing the graduands' newly acquired competences in Tactical maneuver Physical proficiency, Advance shooting drills, Warrior ethos, Unarmed combat, among other vital skills.
According to a statement issued by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the training package, codenamed Exercise Restore Hope V, is to adapt personnel who freshly passed out of Depot Nigerian Army to the challenges posed by the ever-changing nature of threats within Nigeria’s security environment.
General Lagbaja described the objective of the exercise as an effort by the Nigerian Army to close observed gaps in its operations through focused, adaptive, and effective training, with a view to producing highly skilled and competent manpower for operational engagements in all theatres.
He maintained that the training exercise perfectly resonates with his Command Philosophy for the Nigerian Army, which is to "transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force, towards achieving its constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment."
The COAS further clarified that Exercise Restore Hope offers a unique post-Depot training model, designed to enhance the professionalism and battle readiness of young soldiers, and emphasized that training is a key investment needed to achieve operational successes, pointing out further that a nation that places high premium on funding troops training will spend less in prosecuting her wars.
Expressing satisfaction with the quality of training and performance of the troops in the demonstration drills, Gen Lagbaja charged them to “apply the skills and knowledge gained from the exercise in the field, to create a safe and secure environment for socio-economic development.”
The COAS also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his support to the Nigerian Army, and also thanked the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, for their efforts in the capacity development of the Nigerian Army, to deliver on its constitutional mandate.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief of Training (Army), Maj Gen Sani Mohammed, said that the 16 weeks training for the troops had imbued them with requisite military bearing to adapt to the highly dynamic security situation in the country.