By Okosun Dennis
The need to address some noticeable gaps in leadership, especially during military operations, is one of the reasons the leadership of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja has organised a week-long course for Senior Non-Commissioned Officers of the 81 Division, Nigerian Army (NA).
Tagged the Leadership Awareness Development Course 5/22, which began on Monday and is being held at the 81 Division Officers’ Mess, Marina.
The Director General, NA Resource Centre, Major General Garba Ayodeji Wahab (retd) said the course is principally designed to address some shortcomings in leadership hiatus between the officers and Non-Commissioned officers taking into consideration that the Senior Non-Commissioned officers stand as the bridge between the two cadres.
He observed that the course is to develop the leadership qualities of the SNCOs adding that they are the bridge between officers and NCOs.
According to the DG, “SNCOs by their training and status, are leaders in their own right but we want to up those leadership qualities in their categories of ranks for optimal and effective performance in their jobs.”
Acknowledging the fact that there exist some noticeable gaps, Gen Wahab reiterated that “what we are facing in the insurgency, especially Counter-Terrorism is junior Officers’ led, NCOs are supposed to be the commanders.
“Unfortunately, it has been led by senior officers which is abnormal in military parlance. However, the best thing is to improve the leadership qualities of those that are expected to be at the forefront. Not that the senior officers will move away but the SNCOs go on patrols and ambushes.
“The tendency of somebody telling them what to do is what we are trying to bridge. They must know by right, training and status, what to do without waiting to be instructed,” he concluded.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Obinna Ajunwa, who was the Special Guest of Honour tasked Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) in 81 Division to take advantage of the course to build their capacity toward enhanced performance in their responsibilities.
The GOC, while inaugurating the participants of the Course called on them to understand the perspectives in terms of leadership – where we are coming from – within this period.
“The time is apt because we are entering a period that is very crucial to our national development and security issues. Therefore, the SNCOs as leaders on their own level, are the link between the officers and the soldiers; through which instructions are passed down for efficiency and for the smooth running of the armed forces.
He added that the Course would awaken the SNCOs to their responsibilities to lead effectively and bridge the obvious gaps between officers and soldiers.
“We would sweat less if there is a good understanding of mission and the craft of doing that, especially while operating in a joint environment,” the GOC reemphasized.
In his welcome remarks, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the course, Brigadier General Kingsley Nwoko stressed that the course would “inspire and motivate the SNCO to leadership positions; a thing already lacking in the system.
He pointed out that the involvement of personnel from other services would dramatically add “synergetic flavour” to the whole essence of the training course.
Participants in the course that will be rounded off on the 28th October 2022, are drawn from personnel of the Nigerian Airforce, Navy, Police, Immigration, Customs, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Service (DSS) who are attending the week-long Leadership Awareness Development Course 5/22.
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/senior-non-commissioned-officers-course-to-address-leadership-gaps-dg-na-resource-centre/
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