The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt-Gen Farouk Yahaya, has reassured the Directorate of Army Physical Training (DAPT) of continuous support in addressing challenges they face in various units and formations of Nigeria Army, in view of its importance on the battle field.
Yahaya gave the reassurance
at a maiden edition of the DAPT’s Army Master and Warrant Officers workshop 2022, held on Thursday at the Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria.
Yahaya, represented by the Chief of Training, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. A.B. Ibrahim, who also stood in for by the Commandant of Depot Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Aminu Chinade, said physical mental fitness was critical in achieving the desired goals in battles.
He said the workshop aimed at enhancing capacity of Warrant Officers cadre of the Physical Training (PT) was with a view to ensuring provision of quality and desired complimentary efforts to the functions of other levels of leadership for fitness training in the Nigerian Army (NA).
He noted that the workshop would offer the leadership of the DAPT opportunity of transferring emerging issues on fitness training and other imperatives which would be discussed at the Strategic and Leadership Training Workshop to the Warrant Officers Cadre.
He further stated that the outcome of the workshop would go along way in keying into his vision which was ‘’A Professional Nigerian Army Ready to Accomplish Assigned Missions Within a Joint Environment in Defence of Nigeria’’.
Yahaya congratulated the DAPT for the strides in fitness training and sports excellence since his assumption as COAS, noting the recent success of the female COAS spikers in the National volleyball Premier League Super 8 where the team came second.
“The victory of 13NA/70/10647 LCpl Lawal Rilwan who won the African Featherweight Boxing Belt is also a notable accomplishments worthy of commendation.
“It is also my expectation that the PT would further build on the achievements as it continues to position and project NA sportsmen for national and international exploits.
“In the same vien, I want to assure the officers and soldiers of the DAPT of my continuous moral, financial and logistics support to the drive of the DAPT for fitness training in the Nigerian Army,” Yahaya said.
Earlier, the Director Army Physical Training, Brig-Gen Olawale Fawole, said that the last one year has witnessed the conduct of series of innovative fitness training and sporting activities which are combat related.
“This has consequently put a lot of pressure on the personnel and resources at the disposal of commanders,”Fawole said.
He explained that the rationale to convene the workshop with a focus on the warrant officers cadre who are statutorily the gridgers between the officers and the lower ranks for the implementation of PT and sports polices in the NA.
Fawole noted that a lot of strides with manifest successes had been taken in ensuring renewed consciousness on fitness by officers and soldiers.
“This is a proof that the efforts of the past one year by commanders, commandants and heads of various NA institutions have achieved the training purposes and set objectives notwithstanding the foregoing on ground to cover in order to maintain the ongoing drive.
“This could be best achieved through the continuous building of the capacity of the personnel where we recently held aStrategic and Leadership Training Workshop for selected commanders and staff officers of the DAPT at the Nigerian Army Resource Center Asokoro Abuja,”he said.
He urged the participants to leverage on what they would learn in order to improve the gaps and hitches associated with PT in various units and formations of the NA.