By Victor Akaa.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has urged Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) of the Nigerian Army to inspire their subordinates and build trust with the Nigerian society by ensuring soldiers’ compliance with established practices and accepted code of behaviour.
The COAS made this charge on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, while declaring open the RSM Convention for 2024 at the Abbysynia Hall of Seventeen Hotel in Kaduna State.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by the Director Army Public Relations Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the COAS emphasized the importance of RSMs in upholding the cherished traditions and ethical values of the Nigerian Army, especially in the face of globalization and technological advancements.
The convention, themed “Traditions, Customs, and Ethics of the Nigerian Army as the Bedrock of a Well-Trained and Highly Motivated Force,” aims to equip participating RSMs with the knowledge and skills to better play their roles as custodians of the Nigerian Army’s traditions, customs, and ethics.
The Army Chief emphasized that the convention is designed to delve deeper into critical specifics of issues considered at the last convention, which focused on “Leveraging Sound Administration for a Highly Motivated Force and Operational Efficiency in the Nigerian Army.”
The COAS expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his confidence and support for the Nigerian Army.
He also inaugurated a newly upgraded Radiodiagnostic centre and Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine at the Nigerian Army 44 Reference Hospital, Kaduna, as part of his pledge to improve the welfare, well-being, and wellness of personnel.
Performing the ceremony, the COAS revealed that the upgrading and provision of functional medical facilities across Nigerian Army formations and units is part of efforts to execute his Sound administration master plan to provide adequate welfare, well-being, and wellness for all personnel of the Nigerian Army.
He urged the hospital staff to judiciously utilize and maintain the facility for the health benefit of personnel and their families.
Earlier, the Chief of Administration (Army), Major General Jimmy Akpor, stated that the Nigerian Army’s customs, traditions, and ethics are the social strands that bind formations and units together as an army. He emphasized that RSMs remain the incontestable custodians of these cherished customs, traditions, and ethics and should continually entrench, nurture, and bequeath them.
The convention was attended by about 300 RSM participants from Nigerian Army formations and units across the country. Also present were representatives of the Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, Principal Staff Officers, former General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Air Officer Commanding Training Command, Heads of Security Agencies, senior serving and retired military officers, and Ex-RSMs.
As a symbolic gesture, General Lagbaja, planted a palm tree to commemorate his presence at the RSM Convention, leaving a lasting mark on the occasion.
