EXCLUSIVE: Our Men are Trained for Emergency Situations-Army

The Nigerian Army School of Signal Corps yesterday said its personnel trained in communication skills are equipped in handling information as regards emergency situations especially in the war-torn Northern parts of Nigeria.

The  Deputy Commandant who also doubles as the Director of Training, Colonel Kayode Umaru, made this disclosure at the kick off of the Nigerian Army's (NA) mid-year exercise for 194 trainees in the school. Tagged 'Exercise Hope', the week-long exercise is to be conducted in the general area of Apapa, Mile 2, Ojo and Badagry area of Lagos State and is aimed at testing students understanding of signal communication in formation headquarters deployed in the field.

According to Umaru, the generality of the exercise is in line with the contemporary security challenges beguiling the nation at the moment and as such, the trainees were taken through disseminating information in countering terrorism and insurgencies.

He said, "The exercise often comes after the six months training of the students, adding that at the end of each training, students are taken to the field to test their capabilities.

"The nature of the exercise lays emphasis on radio communication and it would involve movement of the troops to the exercise but without their riffles. The exercise would test them in communication support in both in the brigade headquarters and divisional level.

"After a period of six months spent in the classrooms with an interlude of minor exercises, we are taking them to the field where there is a semblance of realism to what they will experience in real life situations."

On the fate of trainees that might fail the exercise, Umaru stressed that they were optimistic of the success of all the candidates, adding that such measures like the after action review ensures that the weak ones are grounded before the exercise.