Nigerian Army unfolds plans to recruit 18,000, train 4,800 special forces

By FEMI OGUNSHOLA

Maj-Gen Stephen Olabanji, Commander, Training and Doctrine Command, Nigerian Army, says the Army is expected to commission about 3,885 cadets into the officer’s cadre in 2022.

He said that the Army would also enlist about 18,000 other ranks and a further special forces training of about 4,800 among those commissioned and other ranks cadre.

Olabanji disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Army to defend its 2022 budget proposal.

He said that the essence of the special training is to further give the personnel some specialised training in the aspect of watermanship, deep-diver, airborne and leaving off the land.

Olabanji stated that other aspects of the training would be in the areas of target acquisition, tracker, assailing and rappelling, counter terrorism and counter insurgency training, among others.

“These are all geared towards beefing up the personnel strength of the Nigerian Army and further increase her fighting capabilities in order to bring a lasting solution to the insecurity challenges in our country,” he said.

He said that the training command is requesting for the sum of N43.3 billion for the year 2022 budget appropriation.

Olabanji however said that the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning had proposed N26.2 billion for the training command.

He said that his prayer was that the sum of N30.8 billion should be approved for the training as against the N25.5 billion in the appropriation bill.

Olabanji also said that N4.9 billion should be approved for the training command for the year 2022 overhead as against N200 million in the appropriation bill.

According to him, the sum of N7.4 billion should be approved for the training command for the 2022 capital projects as against N544 million in the appropriation bill.

“I therefore, humbly request this honourable committee to kindly approve the total sum of N43.3 billion, which covers the personnel emolument, trainees/instructors allowances, capital and overhead,” he said.

He said that the training command was committed to training very mobile, dynamic, fierce, gallant and ever ready Nigerian youths into the Nigerian Army who wish to defend the territorial integrity of the country.

Rep. Abdularzaq Namdas, the Chairman of the Committee, urged the training command to focus on training of officers in counter terrorism considering the security challenge of the country.

Namdas said that the national assembly had passed a resolution, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to designate bandits as terrorists.

He urged the training command to continue to do all the assignment given to it, assuring that the committee will continue to support their quest. (NAN)