NASEME: Brig. Gen. Arogundade Inaugurates 7 Courses

…says NASEME played crucial role in providing equipment support for Nigerian Army

By Simeon OSAJIE

The Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (NASEME), Brig. Gen. Oladele Arogundade, has acknowledged NASEME’s crucial role played in providing equipment support to the Nigerian Army during various operations across the country.

Arogundade stated this during the inauguration of 7 Courses out of the Third Quarter Courses for year 2023 at NASEME Auditorium, Auchi. He said the achievement was attributed to the absolute determination, strong will to succeed, and the innovative spirit of the NAEME personnel.

This accomplishment aligns with the Chief of Army Staff’s Command philosophy, which aims to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped, and highly motivated force, enabling them to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities effectively within a joint environment. The Chief of Army Staff’s vision emphasizes the importance of proper training, advanced equipment, and a motivated workforce.

In this context, the role of the Corp Commander Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is pivotal. The Corp Commander plays a critical part in ensuring that NAEME can deliver the necessary equipment support to the Nigerian Army.

According to him, “there is however still a lot more to be done towards rendering better quality services to combat units in the field”.

He said for NASEME to realize this, there have to be continuous efforts to improve the quality of training for both officers and soldiers at the school and to also fulfilling the School Mission to develop technical manpower, NAEME Corps is capable of efficiently providing effective equipment support for the Nigerian Army in all operations using modern management concept and techniques driven by technological innovations and creativity.

The Commandant however reiterated his commitment to build on the good works of his predecessors, saying that students welfare is paramount so that they would have conducive learning environment, adding that no stone will be left unturned to improve on infrastructure such as equipping the dining hall with tables and chairs to enable them to eat together as well as have prep classes. The school’s website will also be hosted to make the school have more visibility and digital footprints globally.

While welcoming the Students of Officers Armoured and Artillery Electronic Equipment Course (OAAEEC)19/23 to NASEME Auchi, he said the course is designed to equip them with the requisite knowledge for troubleshooting and repair of Armoured and Artillery weapons system Electronics.

“This course will also broaden your practical ability by improving on your basic theoretical background as engineers so that at the end of the course you would be in a better position to serve the EME Corps more effectively”, he added.

The Commandant however advised that while on course, they are regarded as students without losing sight of fact that they are officers and expect them to behave as such and to participate in all the regimental and routine activities such as morning PT, evening games, monthly route march and 5 km endurance run among others, saying no form of indiscipline will be condoned during the duration of their course as they must be found worthy in both character and learning to earn the certificate.

Brig. Gen. Arogundade further stated that the EME YOC 37/23 is aimed at giving young officers of the NAEME Corps basic orientation on the roles and organization of the Corps and also aimed at exposing them to the functionality of a workshop both in peace and wartime.

In order to achieve these aims, he said the course is divided into modules to take them through all the departments in the institution and therefore urged them to pay utmost attention to all instructions that will be given to them in the cause of their training as it will give them insight on the types of jobs carried out in these departments and how they complement one another for the smooth running of a NAEME workshop.

“You are all aware of the security challenges in the country. You must therefore be mindful of your actions within and outside the barracks and avoid any unprofessional conduct that would jeopardize the fragile peace being experienced in Auchi and other part of the country”, he warned.

In similar vein, the Commandant of NASEME, Brig. Gen. Oladele Arogundade commended the students of the institution for their high sense of responsibility and discipline exhibited throughout the duration of their courses and urged them to continue with the good attributes.

The Commandant gave the commendation during the combined graduation ceremony of Armoured Fighting Vehicles Maintenance Course Soldiers 24 (AFVMCS) and Upgrading Course 3-2 (All Trades) of 2023 at the NASEME Auditorium, Auchi.

According to him, he said the graduating students of AFVMCS 24/23 course objective was to impart the necessary knowledge and skills that would enable them to carry out comprehensive inspection and repair on available Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) confidently with little or no supervision.

On the other hand, graduating students of Upgrading Course 3-2 (All Trades) were trained with the objective to certify that they attained proficiency in their trades, sufficient to be able to work in a team with little or no supervision, hence, it is the foremost requirements for them to be awarded the certificate of class 2 on completion of their courses.

“I expect you to effectively carry out these various functions in your respective units or sub unit/section and justify the time, effort and resources expended in training you. You should however note that what you have learnt here is basically a tool, the effective use of which is dependent on you. I therefore enjoined you to develop the right attitude to facilitate the positive and effective use of these tools so that you can be good ambassadors of EME Corps wherever you find yourself”, he emphasized.

Highpoint of the ceremonies was the inauguration of new students and presentation of certificates to the graduating students and awards to the best graduating students by the Commandant.