Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, has challenged senior military officers to deploy knowledge they had acquired in proffering solution to security challenges facing the country.

Olonisakin gave the charge in Abuja at the graduation of 19 senior officers of Course one in Strategic Management and Policy Studies from the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Defence Academy Postgraduate School.

The officers who were awarded Masters Degrees at the conclusion of the course comprise five Major Generals, one Rear Admiral, four Brigadier Generals, three Colonels and one Captain of the Nigerian Navy.

Others are two Deputy Directors each from Department of State Security Service and Federal Road Safety Corps and a Principal Education Officer from the Federal Ministry of Education.

Olonisakin described education was a life-long pursuit in the military and charged the offMajrs to offer lasting solutions to the plethora of security challenges.

He said the armed forces would continue to train officers in all sphere of human endeavours for the benefit of the nation.

“The senior officers could thus assume that there is nothing more to add to their vast experience and array of knowledge but this in reality is a fallacy as knowledge must be sought continuously even in retirement.

“For the few among the senior military officers who must be exiting the system and reintegrating into civilian life, I make bold to say that the operating environment in the larger civil society is highly unpredictable, extremely competing with knowledge even in private and public sectors.

“These realities I am sure informed the noble decision of Chief of Army Staff to commence this executive programme with a robust curriculum on policy, management, entrepreneurship and research methodology for high level officers of your calibre.

“I am aware that you have been exposed to the theoretical rigours of policy formulation, interpretation and management at all level of government and private life,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, said the course was designed to fill the career management gap among top officers of the army and other security services.

Buratai said the course was designed to prepare top level senior officers on how to understand and examine security through another prism.

He said it was prepared to promote inter-agency collaboration by deepening the existing relationships and understanding among ministries, departments and agencies.

This, according to him informed the plan to reduce the number of Nigerian army participants to allow other strategic agencies to subscribe and participate.

“The course was designed to develop a critical thinking at the top echelon of the Nigerian army which is required for the management of resources and equipment.

“I am therefore delighted that the curriculum of the strategic and policy management course which centred around the four semantic areas of policy, management, entrepreneurship and research methodology has fully justified the establishment of this programme.

“Additionally, the collaboration with Nigerian Defence Academy School of Postgraduate Studies to award the participants a master degree is quite significant towards the human capacity development drive of the Nigerian army.

“It is my sincere belief that the knowledge the participants have acquired will be of great benefit to the nation and the individual participants in their engagements in our dynamic civil society,’’ he said.

Director-General of the centre, retired Major-General Ganiyu Wahab, said there was need for senior officers to acquire requisite knowledge to deal with the increasing state of insecurity in the country.

Wahab said the course offered all participants two fold benefits of career progression and a master degree.

This, according to him, will put the participants on the right pedestal when they eventually disengage from active service.