Air Officer Commanding, Air Training Command, AVM Nanandi Ananaba, has said loyalty to Nigeria must be unquestionable.

Mr Ananaba spoke on Friday in Kachia, Kaduna State, at the final outdoor training for the Army Cadets of 71 Regular Course and Direct Short Service Course 28.

The exercise titled “Battle inoculation of exercise camp highland,’ was held at the Nigerian Army Table Hill.

The exercise was organised by the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Mr Ananaba said, “There is no compromise on this. You should fall in line with the leadership concept of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa which is to nurture a professional Armed Forces of Nigeria that is people-centric, collaborative and capable of meeting constitutional responsibilities in a joint environment. Battle inoculation exercise is an exercise which once you have gone through it, you become immune to the sound of gunfire and immune to the sound of explosions and bullets flying over your head.”

Mr Ananaba commended the NDA for maintaining the age-long tradition in its training system.

 He told the cadets that they were in their final lap of their journey towards the grant of a ‘Presidential Commission.’

Mr Ananaba said, “You must know that after inauguration, you automatically become leaders of men and women in the Nigerian Armed Forces, where much is expected of you. I must let you know that the field is yearning for the skills you have acquired during your training. Our nation is still faced with numerous security threats ranging from terrorism, kidnapping, banditry to economic saboteurs, amongst others, which the Armed Forces and other security agencies are constitutionally mandated to combat.”

He said that the NDA had provided the cadets with the basic skills, character development and academic prowess that would enable them to fit into the system.

Mr Ananaba said, “Irrespective of the corps or specialty you may find yourselves in after your commissioning, you must be prepared to be drafted at operations. They include counter terrorism, counterinsurgency operations, peace enforcement, peacekeeping, and other operations in aid to civil authority. Therefore, be prepared to join your senior colleagues in the various theatres of operation in defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our dear nation. Go forward with patriotic fervour and courage to discharge your constitutional roles to your fatherland.”

 Earlier, the Commandant of NDA, Maj.-Gen. John Ochai, said the cadets after inauguration would add value to the armed forces of Nigeria.

Mr Ochai said, “Our adversaries need to hear this clearly. These cadets are some of the best trained officers that we are going to inaugurate. They are airborne qualified. They did amphibious training and some elements of special forces. They were also introduced to cyber warfare.”

Mr Ochai assured the nation, particularly the armed forces, that the cadets were going to bring a lot of value in confronting security challenges facing the country.

(NAN)