In a routine drill contest organised for soldiers of the 14 Brigade Command in Abia State, a unit near Aba, the commercial capital of the region, shone and it was accordingly honoured, Sunny Nwankwo reports
There is no war, but that does not mean soldiers should forget about keeping fit and being better combatants. That was why the 14 Brigade Command Headquarters of Nigerian Army in Ohafia, named after former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, brought together over 200 soldiers from various formations to go through their routine drill. And to spice things up and inject serious into it, the battalions had to vie for a prize. The 144 Battalion in Ukwa West Local Government Area of the state won the prize: a golden cup.
The exercise was in compliance with the directives of the new Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai.
Brig-Gen Bamidele Omozoje, the brigade commander, urged officers and men under his command to work harder to reach the point of proficiency required to enable them fulfil their constitutional roles.
Omozoje who also was the review officer of the competition stated that the need for the exercise could not be over-emphasised, adding that drill provides the command with the opportunity to evaluate the performance of soldiers.
Speaking further, the brigade commander said that the competition was part of the scheduled training arrangements for the Nigerian Army as directed by the COAS.
“The activities we are witnessing today are part of the training activities scheduled for this year 2015 and we have decided to go ahead with it despite all the challenges in line with the Chief or Army Staff’s vision to have a very professionally responsive Nigerian army in the discharge of its constitutional roles.
“And so we are here this morning to witness the…inter-battalion drill competition. In the army drill is key because it is the foundation for establishing team work among its personnel and also for building comradeship.
“That is why we are here this morning. I urge all participants to put up a very good display so that at the end of the whole exercise everybody who is present would have gained something”, he said.
He thanked all the soldiers who participated in the exercise including guests for being part of the programme and contributing to its success.
Four units of the military formations in Abia state took part in the event which lasted for about four hours.
The participating units included 14 Brigade, Ohafia; the 144 Battalion, Asa; 143 Battalion, Ovim hosting Nigerian Army Language School and 145 Battalion, Ohafia with its Forward Operational Base (FOB) at Umuahia.
The competition ended with 144 Battalion, Asa in Ukwa West adjudged the best in the drills competition and were presented with a Golden Cup by Omozoje which was received by 2nd Lt. Noah Shigaba on behalf of the 144 Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. Sidi Umar.
