By Sumaila Ogbaje

Some serving and retired army generals have emphasised the need for the Nigerian Army to select recruits with both physical strength and intellectual capacity to meet future operational demands.

The views were canvassed at a one-day Nigerian Army Military History Seminar organised by the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) on Tuesday in Abuja, with the theme “Military History and Decision Making in the Nigerian Army Drawing Lessons from the Past Challenges and Prospects.”

Retired Maj.-Gen. Stephenson Olabanji who delivered a paper on “Nigerian Army’s Cultural Evolution Since 1863”, said the army was once
considered a place for the dregs.

He added that little emphasis was placed on educational qualifications of enlisted men at inception, saying that the army was seen as a place
for generally brutal persons.

Olabanji said that the force had, however, metamorphosed into a highly educated upwardly mobile band of professionals across all facets of learning.

He explained that “the current Nigerian army is making commendable strides to modernise the force.”

He emphasised that recruitment must be enhanced with improved processes to be able to achieve an ideal soldier.

According to him, recruitment system should be up-scaled with heightened emphasis on physical fitness, mental toughness, strategic thinking and
adaptability to diverse operational environment.

“This is because future battlefield will not only require physical strength, but intellectual capacity and emotional resilience.

“The concept of ideal soldier is central to Nigerian army’s vision for operational success, while the skills and competences of the ideal soldier must align with Nigeria’s national interest.

“Ideal soldiers function as cohesive and highly effective force in pursuit of national interest.

“Ideal soldier is expected to exhibit profound love for homeland because love for country translates to readiness to defend the country at all cost, soldier with strong patriotism likely to uphold Nigerian army’s values and contribute to successes,’’ he added.

In his remarks, Retired Maj.-Gen. Ahmed Jibrin, the Special Assistant, Technical to the Minister of Defence, said the seminar would help to expose soldiers to lessons learnt from past wars and battles fought.

Jibrin said it was not enough for the military to prepare and go to war but having it in mind that some of the plans made might not come true.

According to him, each and everyone of the principles of war is derived from the lessons learned in history.

“And so, since we are using the principle to fight the present war and even the future war, then it is necessary for us to know that without history, we cannot build today and the future.

“In the past, these technological advancements were not in the stage, but the lesson of history has taught us that things will not continue to be as they used to.

“Nations will continue to strive to make efforts to come up with more modern ways and means of dealing with security situations confronting them.”

The Deputy Chief of Training (Training and Exercise), Army, Maj.-Gen. Musa Etsu-Ndagi, said the soldier of the future must be a smart soldier that should be well-educated.

Etsu-Ndagi said such a soldier should be in tune with realities of the time such as technology, to be able to navigate the battlefield of the future.

He said the seminar was organised to bring participants up-to-speed and be attuned to current realities and brace up for the future battlefield.

The Director-General of NARC, Retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, described the seminar as an “indirect approach training to look at what was being done right from lessons learnt from the past.”

Wahab said that the first seminar had been of immense benefit to the army, adding that the second edition was expected to help them come up with lessons and gaps needed to be filled.

According to him, it is not just for the soldier to be physically fit and man the weapon, but ability to relate with the community, and be able to communicate effectively.

He said “it goes beyond handling of weapons because that weapon is being held in trust for Nigerians to be able to secure them.

“So, we have to find a way of ensuring that trust is built between not only the army, but all the security agencies and the community they are securing.” (NAN)