The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, on Saturday, charged the 360 members of the Junior Course 97 to be committed to professional standards and respect for the rule of law.

Mr Ogalla gave the charge at a graduation ceremony to members of Junior Course 97 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna.

The 360 students comprised officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, friendly nations, ministries, departments, and agencies. They included officers from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, The Gambia, Mali, Sierra-Leone, Togo and Zimbabwe.

Mr Ogalla said the junior course formed a major pillar in building officers’ careers and congratulated them on the successful completion of the course.

He said the college’s core objective is to develop the professional knowledge and understanding of selected officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and allied countries and nominees from strategic ministries, departments, and agencies.

“The college is achieving its objectives, especially now that efforts to curb insecurity and asymmetry warfare require collaboration as well as a whole-of-government approach. I am also aware that you were guided to better appreciate time management, staff skills and esprit-de-corps, amongst others.

“I believe you have come to understand that most situations previously perceived to be impossible, were not insurmountable. Having successfully completed this course, it is appropriate to presume that you are prepared to operate effectively as staff officers and junior commanders in your respective Services and organisations,” Mr Ogalla said.

He said the appellation ‘Passed Junior Staff Course’ conferred  much responsibility on the officers regarding the desired quality and expected output.

He urged the graduands to remember that the Junior Course package prepared them to meet diverse staff requirements in future endeavours.

The navy chief reaffirmed the assurance of President Bola Tinubu’s continuous support to the armed forces in the attainment of their statutory roles.

He acknowledged the graduands from Defence Intelligence Agency, Defence Space Administration, Department of State Services and National Intelligence Agency.

(NAN)