South African Army Chief pays working visit to Nigeria

The Chief of the South African Army, Lt.-Gen. Lawrence Mbatha, on Wednesday paid a working visit to key Nigerian Army institutions in Kaduna State.

During the visit, Lt.-Gen. Mbatha was received by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Wase.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the South African Army chief toured several major military institutions, including the Nigerian Defence Academy, the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Jaji, and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria in Kaduna.

The visit formed part of efforts to strengthen military cooperation and exchange professional experience between the armed forces of both countries.

Speaking during the visit, Mbatha said the visit was aimed at strengthening military cooperation and benchmarking training systems between the armed forces of Nigeria and South Africa.

According to him, the visit forms part of an existing cooperation agreement between the military institutions of the two countries.

“This is a working visit to my counterpart to strengthen military ties; we have a cooperation agreement in place between our military arms,” he said.

Mbatha described his impression of the institutions visited as commendable, particularly the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He said the academy’s integrated curriculum and professional training structure offered valuable lessons for South Africa’s military training institutions.

“Starting from the NDA to the AFCSC, I must say the level of professionalism is quite impressive.”

“At the NDA, if we can have such an integrated curriculum, there is much to learn from that process,” he said.

The South African Army Chief also commended the AFCSC for its strong international cooperation.

He noted that both countries already had exchange programmes involving directing staff and students at the college.

“You could see that we have exchanged directing staff and students, which shows that the cooperation is already active.”

“We came for the right purpose, and the objective of the visit has largely been attained,” he said.

Mbatha also visited DICON, where he noted that defence companies in South Africa already had engagements with their Nigerian counterparts.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Olatoye, expressed appreciation for the South African Army Chief’s visit to Nigeria.

Olatoye explained that the NDA’s training structure combines both academic and military training from the first to the fourth year, while the fifth year focuses entirely on military training to prepare cadets for field operations.

He said the training covered conventional and asymmetric warfare, including airborne and amphibious operations.

According to him, cadets must meet strict standards before earning specialised badges such as airborne wings.

Olatoye emphasised that the academy remained committed to producing well-trained officers capable of meeting contemporary security challenges.

Also speaking, the Commandant, AFCSC, AVM A.O. Shogbanmu, expressed delight at including the college in the itinerary of the South African Army Chief’s visit.

He said the engagement would further strengthen ties between the college and the armed forces of both countries.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mbatha was accompanied by senior Nigerian military officers during the visit.

They included the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, and Commander Sector 1 Joint Task Force North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Wase; representatives of the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command; the Deputy Commandant, NDA; and other staff officers from Army Headquarters. (NAN)

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