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By Ukongikwen Adie
The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, has congratulated the 22 graduates of the Naval Warfare Course 7 in Calabar, Cross River State.
Senator Otu who was represented at the graduation ceremony by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon Peter Odey, said the Nigerian Navy had been of great help to the State. He stated that apart from the Navy Reference Hospital which had become known as the best hospital in the South-South Region of Nigeria, the men of the Nigerian Navy had been proactive in carrying out their security duties with so much dedication. He cited an instance earlier this year when many students who were involved in a boat mishap around Marina were saved by the prompt intervention of men of the Nigerian Navy.
On behalf of the Governor, Hon. Odey assured the Navy of the State’s determination to support them with land and any other thing that they might need from the State.
Presenting the Warfare Course 7 Graduands for award, the Commandant of the Naval War College of Nigeria, Rear Admiral MB Hassan, assured participants in the ceremony that the graduands had been imbued with the same skills as their predecessors. Rear Admiral MB Hassan said the 22 officers represented the final crop among their contemporaries who were now capable of undertaking higher operational level command responsibilities and making meaningful contributions towards solving many of the nation’s security challenges. He charged the Course 7 graduands to showcase the defining character of the War College when they return to their respective services.
The Special Guest of Honour and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral EI Ogalla, thanked the government of CRS for the provision of land and support for the Navy. He also commended the Commandant for accomplishing the mission of the College by not only producing well-trained operational level Commanders, but also by training foreign participants. This, according to the CNS, was an indication that the War College had attained international standards and recognition. While congratulating the graduands, the Special Guest of Honour thanked the Almighty God that the training did not record any adverse incident. Rear Admiral Ogalla drew attention to the global nature of security challenges that were destabilizing in nature, stating that these spates of challenges constituted a clarion call for militaries all over the world to embrace long-term and robust strategic postures to be able to combat such threats.
While highlighting insurgency and banditry as some of the irregular challenges facing the nation, Rear Admiral Ogalla noted that the Nigerian Navy had changed its operations to meet up with such emerging irregular security challenges that were prevalent in Nigeria today
The Naval War College is the highest Naval training institution in Nigeria. It was built to boost security in the maritime sector, as well as enhance the capability of Naval officers to make sound decisions both in command and management positions.
Since the inception of the Naval War College in line with the Nigerian Naval Order 08/17 which promulgated its creation, it has continued to graduate intakes. The War College started on its temporary site at Ubima, Rivers State in 2017, before relocating to Calabar.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of a souvenir to the State Governor by the Nigerian Navy.
