National Defence College graduates 2,549 participants in 30 years – Commandant

National Defence College graduates 2,549 participants in 30 years – Commandant
July 25, 2022 by Sumaila Ogbaje

The Commandant, National Defence College (NDC), Rear Adm. Murtala Bashir, says the college has graduated no fewer than 2,549 participants from within and outside Nigeria in its 30 years of existence.

Bashir stated this while briefing newsmen on the college 30th Anniversary and Graduation of Course 30 Participants of NDC on Monday in Abuja.

The commandant was represented by the Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies, NDC, Maj.-Gen. Emeka Anumajuru.

He said that 216 of the participants were drawn from strategic Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); 92 from Nigerian Police and 254 international participants from allied nations.

According to him, among the participants were people who had reached the pinnacle of their career in the various services and MDAs.

The commandant said the college deemed it necessary to mark its 30th anniversary, having been able to record landmark success stories, especially in the remit of its mandate.

According to him, the college has the mandate to train selected senior military officers, their counterparts from strategic MDAs and the police to be able to operate at the strategic level within and outside the country.

“We insist our participants understand how to use the entire gamut of elements of national power to be able to achieve strategic objectives.

“That, in a nutshell, is the mandate of the college and that is what we strive to achieve since 1992 that the college was established.

Bashir said that NDC was a key arm of National Defence Diplomacy because of its level of interaction between the college and members of the armed forces from foreign countries.

He said the college could pride itself in advancing the nation’s defence diplomacy and ultimately the national foreign policy of Nigeria.

According to him, the college, too, is a centre of excellence in the conduct of peace support operations as a strategic level.

He added that NDC was a key partner in AU and ECOWAS in advancing peace support operations, particularly as regards the theoretical components that advance the missions at the strategic level.

The commandant also said that NDC could pride itself in corporate social responsibility in its host communities such as Ushafa in terms of provision of infrastructures, medical outreach, schools and even scholarship.

He said that series of programmes had been lined up for the 30th anniversary such as sports, humanitarian activities and award night as well as graduation lecture and graduation course 30 participants.

According to him, so many of the participants have been service chiefs in their armed forces.

“This year will be honouring two of them who are current service chiefs from Burkina Faso and Uganda.

“So, when you graduate participants who rise to the position of service chiefs in their respective countries, of course you have a link to those countries because we will monitor their progresses and they remain part of us.