Abuja – The Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Hassan Umaru on Friday said the Nigerian Army has revived its policy on physical fitness and mental alertness for officers and soldiers.
Umaru stated this at the closing of the 2016 Corporal and Below Physical Fitness and Training Competition organised as part of training programme for soldiers serving in Army units and formations in Abuja.
He said the policy was aimed at testing and maintaining the combat readiness of troops and their commanders across the country.
According to the branch chief, the important aspect of the new training directive as demonstrated today is to ensure that troops are ready to go at any time.
He said tht the exercise, which was also holding simultaneously in Army formations and units across the country, was part of the new training directive of the Army Headquarters.
Umaru particularly expressed satisfaction with the performance of the troops in the area of map reading, noting that it was an important aspect of the soldiers’ discipline.
He commended the participants’ spirit and charged them to be ready to replicate same in tasks assigned to them.
He also urged them not to disappoint their various unit commanders.
In his remark, the Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, Maj.-Gen. John Malu, said the exercise would help to maintain the soldiers’ combat readiness even as they discharged other non-combat duties in the FCT.
The commander was represented by Brig.-Gen. Ifiok Obot, the Chief of Staff at the garrison command.
Malu said the competition would go a long way in bringing back the Army’s tradition of constant training and sustenance of physical fitness, stressing that the last edition was held five years ago.
He said the performance of the soldiers showed that the Army was still united and strong in spite of the challenges associated with training and funding of related activities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the events that featured in the four-day competition comprised map reading, weapon handling, drill, obstacle crossing and a 3.4 kilometer race.
NAN reports that the Army Headquarters Garrison team (Team A) emerged first overall in the competition.
The garrison team garnered a total of 412.5 points in map reading, weapon handling, drill, obstacle crossing and the 3.4 kilometer race to beat the other two teams that participated in the competition.
The second position with 391.6 points from the same events was Team B which comprised all the Army’s corps headquarters based in Abuja.
Team C comprising all the departments at the Army Headquarters, came third with 328.9 points also from the same events.
NAN reports that cash prizes were presented to individual soldiers that distinguished themselves in the various events while the winning and other participating teams got both cash and trophies. (NAN)
