By Kingsley Chijioke
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor has said the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), will rank among top ten universities by the time its strategic plan starting from 2023 – 2030 will be fully implemented.
The CDS said this is achievable alongside the institution’s Mission, Objective and Plan of Action which is currently being executed by the Commandant of the Academy, Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Manu Yusuf.
Irabor spoke on Friday in Kaduna at the unveiling of two books and the NDA Strategic Plan 2023 – 2033, as well as the commissioning of 4 units of furnished duplexes and other projects at the Academy.
He said the NDA has become a hub for knowledge production and publication on topical issues, particularly defence, security and sustainable development.
The Army boss commended the Academy for always conducting research and development activities that address the defence and security needs of Nigeria.
“There is an intricate connection between defence, security, and sustainable development which oftentimes is not fully understood”, he said.
The book titled: “Defence, Security and Sustainable Development in Africa- Emerging Challenges and Responses, Volumes I & II”, is a collection of scholarly essays that critically examine the nature and dynamics of Defence, Security and Sustainable Development and interrelatedness of three concepts.
The three concepts christened the tripod are meant to address topical issues on security and defence in which the institution was positioned to address, our correspondent reports.
“The first leg of the tripod, which is defence, seeks to deter any attack on the state, defend its independence and inviolability, and preserve its integrity.
“The second, which is security, refers to protection from, or resilience against, the potential harm caused by others.
“The third leg of the tripod is sustainable development, which is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, Irabor said.
He however, expressed his satisfaction with the NDA, saying, it continues to reinvent itself in the face of a changing world.
The CDS lauds the NDA boss Maj-Gen Yusuf for repositioning the Academy to rank among top ten universities.
Earlier, Yusuf, thanked the CDS and the Service Chiefs for their support to the Academy, saying without their support they would not have been able to achieve much.
This medium reports that the CDS led other dignitaries to commission several projects, including 4 newly built duplexes, an Indoor Sports Complex named ‘Gen Irabor Sports Complex’.