Army trains more personnel in indigenous languages to enhance operations

The Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), on Thursday graduated another set of officers and soldiers for proficiency in indigenous languages as part of effort to enhance army operations to curb insecurity in the country.

The centre graduated a total of 160 personnel from the Indigenous Languages Proficiency Course 17/2024 who were taught and certified in Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba languages.

The Acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said the current security reality highlights the importance of maintaining closer ties with local communities.

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Oluyede, represented by the Chief of Administration (Army), Maj.-Gen. Jimmy Akpor, said the threats facing the country required unwavering commitment from troops as they uphold their constitutional roles in aiding civil authorities.

He urged the personnel to carry out their assigned missions with skill and conformity by adhering to the rule of law and established traditions.

According to him, intelligence-driven operations rely heavily on effective communication with the public, which in turn requires a trustworthy level of trust in local communities.

“This calls, therefore, for courses from Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, to equip you with essential tools to engage with the local environment professionally and effectively,” he said.

The COAS commended the efforts of the centre and the Laclic Services Limited in successfully training army personnel through the indigenous languages course and ensuring the continuity of the initiative.

He urged the participants to take the opportunity to enhance their language proficiency for better performance in their assignments.

The Director-General of NARC, retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, said the a total of 2,250 personnel across army formations and other security entities had been trained from courses one to 16.

Wahab appreciated the army chief for his unrelenting effort, commitment, and drive towards capacity development in the Nigerian Army and for sustaining the indigenous languages course.

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He said the course was aimed at bridging the communication barriers between personnel and local communities while conducting internal security operations and other operations across the country.

According to him, the success story of the course had led to it being oversubscribed by personnel who really want to learn.

“It is not just about the army, not just about performing their job, people feel much more comfortable when they go out there and they can understand what other people are saying not from their own language.

“You go to Lagos, you understand what another person is speaking on the street. You are serving in Kaduna, you know what the person is saying and you go to Enugu, you hear what people are saying.

“It gives you that joy that yes, nobody can tell you or say something bad about you without you understanding what they are saying,” he said.

The Course Director, Brig.-Gen. Abimbola Yussuph, said that a total of 160 personnel, which comprises 19 officers and 141 soldiers, reported for the course on Oct. 7 and successfully completed the course and had been evaluated.

The graduation ceremony features drama presentation on the usefulness of indigenous languages in three major languages to the personnel in their areas of responsibility.