THE Nigerian Army has initiated a major move aimed at nipping insecurity in the bud in any part of the country.The organisation has already commenced training of its officers and men in partnership with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) providers in the country.The Chief of the Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika, who declared open the training session tagged 'Combating contemporary challenges through the application of ICT' at the Army School of Signals in Apapa, Lagos said that modern warfare could no longer be prosecuted without ICT.According to him, any nation taking its soldiers to the war front must be in tune with ICT without which they would embark on suicide mission.'Combating contemporary challenges through the application of ICT is quite instructive especially at this trying period in our nation's history considering the prevailing security challenges. One of the constitutional roles of the military is to act in aid of civil authority.'Accordingly, the Nigerian Army has witnessed in recent times, increased activities in internal security operations across the country to safeguard lives and property. The current security challenges have also led the Nigerian Army to modify its training regimes and mode of operation. Existing task forces have been modified, while some new ones have been set up in response to current challenges.'To further ensure security of lives and property, Forward Operation Bases (FOB) have also been created for greater reach to some remote areas while Quick Response Groups (QRG) now operate on selected routes along our highways.'In all these operations and activities, effective communication is required for command and control of troops involved in widely dispersed deployments. The application of ICT will definitely enhance command and control. Thus ICT could play a very important role in tackling some of these challenges,' Ihejirika who was represented by the General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Kenneth Minimah said.According to Minimah: 'Modern warfare requires all that Information Technology can provide for us. In comparison to the past, when warfare was still in medieval ages, we could go to war without ICT, but today, without ICT any war embarked on is mere suicide. All our platforms for warfare are all configured to acceptance of ICT waves. In the area of intelligence acquisition, ICT comes very effective.'The Commandant of Nigerian Army Corp of Signals, Major General Danjuma Kitchener who was the host of the training event noted that rapid advances in ICT now enable people to hear and see issues around the world.According to him: 'Today, many terrorists and criminal organisations are applying ICT to enhance their operations, networking, recruitment and funding and modern armies are equally evolving new strategies to confront the unfolding asymmetric threats.
Click here to read full news..
