By Amos Tauna

Determined to curb the activities of insurgency in the country, The 64 Regular Course Army and 65 Regular Course Navy and Air Force cadets of Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, were subjected to three weeks practical and special warfare training to fight insurgency in the country.

The final battle inoculation exercise, which involves firing of live ammunitions of various weapons at Combat Team Level on selected targets, was designed to expose the officer cadets to real battle situation.

Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the closing of the three weeks training at Kachia, Kaduna State on Saturday, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, asked the cadets  to be patriotic and courageous, as they would join the armed forces in the fight against insurgency next month.

According to the Chief of Air Staff, the training had adequately prepared the cadets to contribute effectively the fight against insurgency and other threats confronting the country.

Represented by the Air Officer Commanding, AOC, Training Command, Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal, C. E Okoye, the Chief of Air Staff said, “Nigeria is contending with insurgency and various other threats to its security and development.

“The armed forces of Nigeria have been in the forefront of the fight against these threats to Nigeria’s wellbeing. The training you have received has prepared you to adequately to contribute effectively to this fight.

“I urge you therefore to go forward with patriotic fervor and courage to discharge your duty to the country in whatever way you may be called to do so.

“As you look forward to passing out of the academy come 16 September, 2017, permit me to remind you of zero tolerance to all acts of indiscipline. Hence, you need to exercise extra caution and discipline for the days ahead, so that your hopes of earning a Presidential Commission are not dashed.”

Air Marshal Abubakar commended the Commandant of the academy, Major General Mohammed T. Ibrahim for improving on the standard of training imparted to the officer cadets.

Earlier, the Academy’s Director of Military Training, DMT, Brigadier General M. G Kangye, said that the training code-named ‘Exercise Camp Highland’ was the final field training exercise for passing out army cadets, designed to examine their understanding of operational, administrative and logistic concepts they were taught in the academy.

He said the exercise was used for the assessment of the cadets’ suitability for commission into the armed forces as Combatant Officers.

Explaining the content of the training, General Kangye said while in Jos, where the exercise commenced, the cadets went through various aspects of leadership training such as adventure and confidence building as well as practical application of map reading.

He added, “The tactical phase of the exercise took place in the general areas of Korot, Kadunu, Bankin Kogi, and Gindiri also in Plateau State.

“The cadets moved to Kachia on 29 July, 2017 and went through field firing, live grenade throwing and now the battle inoculation, which is the climax of Exercise Camp Highland.”

Lafia (Nigeria) – former House of Representative Member, who represented Nassarawa/Toto Federal Constituency, and frontline 2019 governorship aspirant in Nasarawa State, northcentral Nigeria, Ahmad Aliyu Wadada has restated his commitment to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Wadada, in a statement on Thursday and made available to AFRICA PRIME NEWS debunked an online media report suggesting that he is seeking to re-join his former party, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He described the report carried by the online as an attempt by his detractors to create confusion among his teeming supporters across the state.

While calling on the people of the state, his supporters, as well as APC members to disregard the report, challenging the originators of the report to produce any evidence to support their claim.

“I want to use this medium to call on our teeming supporters, all people of Nasarawa State as well as members of our great party, the APC to disregard such publication,” Wadada says.

He added that no amount of intimidation could deter him from his quest to provide purposeful leadership for the state in order to build on achievements of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura and to take Nasarawa State to the next level.

In the said report, published by the online medium, Mr. Wadada was alleged to have made known his plan to jettison his governorship ambition for a chance to contest the Nasarawa West senatorial seat under the PDP.

“This is but a figment of the imagination of the writer. I remain a committed APC member and my resolve to contest the 2019 governorship election remain unshakeable,” his statement says.

He attributed the report to the antics of detractors who are getting worried over his soaring popularity and general acceptance across the state.

“Our democracy has grown past the stage where politicians can resort to cheap blackmail and sentiments to win elections. The voters are now wiser and can only go for credible persons that can provide quality leadership. We remain undeterred,” Wadada says.

The statement enjoined Members of the States Houses of Assembly support the Bill as the only way to guarantee dividends of democracy at the grassroots.

By Amos Tauna

The sacking of District and Village heads in Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria by Governor Nasiru El-Rufai, has no legislative backing, as the State House of Assembly did not receive any correspondence, or circular to that effect.

The Member representing Jaba Local Government constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Bakoh Obadiah Whealst, says.

“We first heard about these development as a rumour, due to the fact that no correspondent or circular was served to the legislative arm of government.

“I personally overheard the executive governor responding to a question asked about the sacked district and village heads issue on radio by saying it was an executive fiat and a non legislation, and therefore has nothing to do with the state legislative arm of government,” he explained.

Addressing Journalists Thursday in Kaduna, Whealst expressed concern that the sack of the District and Village heads has made the villages increasingly vulnerable to crisis, especially in the ensuing farming season.

He said, the importance of the district and village heads particularly in resolving disputes, conflicts and crisis in the communities cannot be over-emphasised, adding that they have played vital roles in lowering the number of cases being attended to at police stations and courts.

Similarly, on the closed institutions in Southern Kaduna area of the state on grounds of insecurity, the lawmaker said the long closure of the institutions since last year to date needs to be revisited as a matter of urgency considering the relative peaceful atmosphere that the communities which host the institutions are currently enjoying.

On the conduct of local council elections,  he  said,  “It is regrettable that the State Independent Electoral Commission, SIECOM, is yet to release the time table for the local government elections despite all the support they have received so far from the State government.

He lamented, “When other states are already enjoying the dividends of democracy at the local government level, we are yet to see any practical signs to convince the people that democracy will soon return to the grassroots level of governance after two years and three months.”

The House member expressed the worries of his people, strongly called for the re-opening of the closed institutions, reinstatement of all the district and village heads and the need for SIECOM to liaise with the state government for immediate conduct of local government election in the state.