KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR/CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF VICE ADMIRAL AZ GAMBO GSS AM psc ensp (RSA) MTM FNIM LMUSNI FCIS FIIPS FCAI AT THE THIRD NIGERIAN NAVY WARRANT OFFICERS CONVENTION HELD AT THE ADMIRALTY CONFERENCE CENTRE NAVAL DOCKYARD LIMITED LAGOS FROM 1 – 2 NOVEMBER 2021
PROTOCOL
1. I am most delighted to be in your midst today and to welcome you all to this auspicious occasion of the Third Nigerian Navy Warrant Officers’ Convention. I am pleased and privileged for the unique opportunity to meet such an august gathering of dignitaries from different parts of the country. I wish to recognize and welcome our retired senior colleagues, resource persons and invited guests to this occasion. I welcome specially, the cadre of Warrant Officers, serving and retired, who have made it a point of duty to be a part of this event. Your willingness to attend this Convention is a declaration of support for advancing the professionalism and human resource capabilities of the naval personnel. Looking through this hall, I have no doubt that this distinguished audience has the right mix of knowledge and experience to proffer needed ideas. I mean ideas which would enhance the human resource capacity of the Nigerian Navy as it concerns the Warrant Officers and by extension the entire body of ratings.
2. Distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, it would gladden your heart to note that the maiden edition of the Warrant Officers’ Convention which was held in 2016 gave rise to interesting and far-reaching recommendations that are already being implemented at various levels of the Nigerian Navy. The feedback from the implementation spurred me to sustain the hosting of the Warrant Officers’ Convention, which has become a yearly feature on the Nigerian Navy Schedule of Events.
3. Over the years, the Nigerian Navy has developed into a potent force capable of effectively carrying out its constitutional and statutory roles. The Service has imbibed the realities of our national imperatives and has applied the most optimal policies and strategies in the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity. The Nigerian Navy has equally tackled the maritime challenges in our Exclusive Economic Zone up to the Gulf of Guinea. To this end, the Navy has every reason to be proud as our collective efforts have sufficiently reduced illegalities such as; crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, piracy, kidnapping, smuggling, militancy and pipeline vandalism in our maritime domain. It is equally gratifying that we have continued to give a very good account of ourselves in support of the other Services in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations, especially in the North East. These successes would not have been possible without an enlightened and professional human resource. The Warrant Officers cadre plays a pivotal role to these successes and it is for their sake we are all gathered here today.
4. The need to collectively strive to build a credible Navy capable of discharging its constitutional roles and assigned tasks in a sustainable, efficient and effective manner calls for continuous enlightenment and deliberate re-awakening of the tenets of professionalism and excellent work ethics among the naval personnel at all levels. This expectation is what the Convention hopes to achieve as Warrant Officers are expected to be experienced, visible and professionally sound. Thus, they are well positioned to instil discipline within the lower chain of command and to maintain naval customs and traditions. It is also worthy of mention that Warrant Officers are an important link between the officer corps and the junior ratings cadre. Hence, it is imperative to emphasise that the operational and administrative goals of the Nigerian Navy cannot be attained without a well-disciplined, knowledgeable and highly resourceful class of Warrant Officers. No doubt, Warrant Officers are key players in the lower level of the Nigerian Navy command structure and custodians of unit regimentation. It is expected that they would willingly and effectively discharge their responsibilities at all times if professionalism and operational efficiency are to be sustained in the Service. It is in the light of this that the theme selected for this year’s Warrant Officers’ Convention is “Optimising Nigerian Navy Operations through Effective Warrant Officers’ Leadership”.
5. Distinguished invited guests, participants, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to observe that the topics to be presented have been carefully thought out to address key areas, covering management of human resources as well as functional divisional systems. In addition, the presenters and discussants are men and women of substance carefully drawn from both serving and retired naval personnel to address the issues of interest. It is my fervent hope that the deliberations would yield meaningful ideas that would lead to implementable recommendations that could contribute to the evolution of the Nigerian Navy into a more operational and efficient Service.
6. At this juncture, let me acknowledge the Federal Government’s continued support to the Nigerian Navy in the discharge of its constitutional mandate. The President Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR has pledged his total support to our Armed Forces in its current campaign to restore the territorial integrity of our nation. Mr President and his administration have continued to provide the wherewithal to enhance our work and welfare in the face of dwindling resources and ever-increasing challenges facing the country. I therefore urge you all to continue to be loyal, patriotic, diligent and disciplined. On my part, I shall continue to judiciously apply all allocated resources as evidenced by the ongoing acquisition of an unprecedented number of boats, aggressive renovation and construction of barracks across the various Nigerian Navy establishments. Furthermore, vehicles have been purchased to reduce the burden of public transportation that hitherto tended to diminish personnel productivity and morale. Let me reiterate my commitment to investing in quality training and education as well as the motivation and welfare of personnel at all levels.
7. Permit me to specially thank all invited guests, resource persons and participants from our sister Services and the media for honouring our invitation. I charge you all to participate with the desired interest and enthusiasm in the series of presentations so that the set objectives can be achieved. I crave your indulgence in this regard and urge you to discuss freely and ventilate your thoughts on any issues at hand. I assure you that your contributions would be adopted in moving the Navy forward.
8. Finally, I wish you all a fruitful and successful Convention, and on this note, it is my pleasure to declare the Nigerian Navy 2021 Warrant Officers’ Convention open. Thank you all and Onward Together!
AZ GAMBO
Vice Admiral
November 2021 Chief of the Naval Staff