REMARKS BY THE CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF VICE ADMIRAL AZ GAMBO AM psc ensp(RSA) MTM MNIM MUSNI FCIS MIPM MESP FIIPS FCAI AT THE DINNER/RUN-ASHORE IN HONOUR OF THE NIGERIAN NAVY GRADUANDS OF THE NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE COURSE 29 ON 15 AUGUST 2021
PROTOCOL
1. On behalf of the officers, ratings and civilian staff, I am delighted to be in your midst this evening on the occasion of the run-ashore in honour of the NN graduands of the NDC Course 29. This event affords me the opportunity to meet the new crop of strategic thinkers and leaders while I look forward to them making the desired impact in our collective effort to take the NN to the next level.
2. Let me start by thanking the Almighty God for seeing you through the Course. I must also commend your determination, perseverance and commitment which enabled you to successfully complete the Course without any adverse report and I say BRAVO ZULU to you all.
3. Recall, you graduands were just some few months into the Course when I assumed the leadership of the NN as the 21st Chief of the Naval Staff. Thus, this evening’s event provides the right opportunity to acquaint you with my policy direction. The new thinking and approach to doing things in the NN is premised on my mantra ‘It is Our Navy‘. This recognises the fact that every officer and rating has a stake in the NN and as such, it is required that all hands must be on deck to propel the NN to the next level of growth and development.
4. Notably, the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous nature of contemporary national security challenges presupposes the need to aggregate the imperatives of the Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approaches to meet national security concerns. Accordingly, the NN is leveraging on a robust collaborative strategic engagement with relevant government agencies and non-governmental stakeholders. I am delighted to notify that working together as a Team at the NHQ in close liaison with the Commands a lot has been achieved. Together we have been able to create the necessary awareness regarding the state of affairs in the NN and I am happy to let you know that the support to the NN has been remarkable. Worthy of note is the support from Mr President and Commander-in-Chief. Specifically, Mr President has shown tremendous support for our fleet recapitalization effort. Recall, the recent acquisition of NNS LANA, again contract has been awarded for a sister ship to NNS LANA which is the 35m Hydrographic Survey Ship. Also, construction work is ongoing on the LST-100 and we have just received yet another approval for the acquisition of 2 x OPVs.
5. Similarly, the support from the corporate entities is equally commendable, a fortnight ago, one of the indigenous oil producing companies donated to the NN maritime security assets worth several billions of Naira to support our Maritime Security Operations. These assets include houseboats, gunboats, Inshore Patrol Boats, airboats and drones among others. Also, the Nigerian Export and Import Bank (NEXIM) has concluded plans to donate some Hydrographic Survey Equipment to the NN. This would further bolster our hydrographic survey capabilities. Gentlemen, these supports are the product of teamwork and collaborative strategic level engagements and I urge you graduands to hit the ground running in contributing meaningfully to the ongoing effort to re-energise the NN to better meet her constitutional mandate.
6. Before I conclude, I have no doubt that the Course you have just completed has exposed and equipped you with the wherewithal to discharge your responsibility as strategic leaders. Thus, as you return to the fleet, I urge you to work as a team. I mean, you should develop a Result-Oriented Team of officers, ratings and civilian staff as necessary. Suggestions and ideas should not be discountenanced on the basis of the status of the originator but given due consideration. Again, for me, the welfare of personnel is Non-negotiable, I believe this is a sure means of getting the best from our personnel.
7. On this note, I wish to once again congratulate our graduands of NDC Course 29 and for making the NN proud with the number of C+ grades recorded. I wish to acknowledge the efforts of the Members of Faculty for their untiring efforts at modelling the graduands into consummate strategic thinkers and leaders. I must not forget to congratulate the Commandant for successfully graduating the Course and my prayer is that God Almighty will continue to guide you in your endeavours. I wish to also thank the PSOs for making out time to grace this event. Thank you all, God bless and Onward Together.