The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, said on Tuesday that the Nigerian Armed Forces have made giant strides in tackling the menace of terrorist organisations the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) and Boko Haram in the North-East, which has stopped terrorists from carrying out attacks at will.
The COAS made this known at the opening of the Career Planning and Management Seminar for officers, at the Army Resource Centre, Abuja.
The seminar with the theme, ‘Career planning and management in the Nigerian Army as Means Sustaining Professionalism and Effectiveness Responsiveness in Nigerian Army Operations’, was organised by the Military Secretary Department.
According to him, the seminar, which is targeted at career officers, was designed to acquaint them with contemporary approaches to military human resources management to get the best by providing effective leadership to men.
Buratai stressed that the Nigerian Army’s engagement in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East and other internal security operations in the country brought about the need for good leadership, career planning and development for good human resource management.
He charged commanders to sustain the successes recorded by troops in the Operation Lafiya Dole theatre and sustain the progress, maintaining that all directives concerning the operations must be followed religiously.
He encouraged participants on the need to plan their careers and make personal efforts in regards to their future.
Gen Buratai said the seminar “will avail you the opportunity to understand policies by AHQ on career planning and the part you are expected to play.”
On the counter insurgency operations in the North-East, he said, “I am glad that we are making giant strides against Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) in our bid to unhinge the unholy union between them and the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists.”
Earlier in his address at the occasion, Military Secretary Major-General Gabriel Ochigbano, said the seminar was part of Nigerian Army’s programme to improve on officers career planning and development.
He explained that the department which had hitherto relied on annual reports written on officers noticed a gap in the process, a practice which informed the setting up of the annual gathering of young officers nominated from various corps and sisters services.
The seminar is the second to be organised by the department.