Army holds Inter-division orienteering, adventure competitions

The Nigerian Army’s inaugural Inter-Division Combat Platoon Orienteering and Adventure tournament was held in Ibadan, Oyo State, and was hosted by Headquarters 2 Division Nigerian Army.

The competition, which featured the Army Headquarters Garrison, Abuja; 1 Division, Kaduna; 2 Division, Ibadan; 3 Division, Jos; 6 Division, Portharcourt; 81 Division, Lagos; and 82 Division, Enugu, was conducted at the Old Oyo National Park, Igbeti, Oyo State, from Friday, November 26, 2021.

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The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, who was represented by the Corps Commander of Inter Formations Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Dickson Ehirobo, said the program was aimed at giving participants challenges similar to what the troops were currently facing in various operational areas across the country in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the five-day event on Saturday.

“We must thus use this championship to train all personnel to increase their fitness, perseverance, and mental resolve in order to tackle the primary challenges while also anticipating the emerging ones,” Yahaya said. Let me repeat that the focus of this competition is on training and the value it provides.”

He charged the various formations to motivate their officers and soldiers to give a good performance by instilling a positive competitive spirit in them and adhering to the championship’s rules of conduct, emphasizing that achieving the exercise’s training objectives was far more important than winning trophies.

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“I look forward to a fierce rivalry among participants in this championship,” the COAS said, “in order to ensure the achievement of the twin objectives of sports participation and improved combat efficiency.” As we prepare to project for the training year 2022, this will go a long way toward ensuring that we focus our examination of training achievement in the training year 2021.”

In his welcome address, Maj. Gen. Gold Chibuisi, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division Nigerian Army, said the importance of the competition could not be overstated, given the critical roles of junior leadership in the fight against insurgency and other myriad security challenges confronting the country.

Chibuisi said the exercise, which aimed to improve troops’ operational readiness in a competitive environment, would help the army reposition itself for professional defeat of all adversaries and contribute to the COAS’ vision of a “professional Nigerian Army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defense of Nigeria.”

“The competition’s scope, no doubt, will boost esprit de corps in many capacities such as physical fitness, map reading, navigation, field administration, and minor tactics, among others,” he said. I thus implore all officials, judges, and umpires to ensure that all competing formations participate on a level playing field in conformity with the established standards, rules, and regulations.”

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Chibuisi thanked the COAS for allowing the 2 Division Nigerian Army to organize the inaugural edition of the competition and for providing the necessary logistical and other resources.

The 10 kilometer Road Run with 12.5kg Dead Load, which was completed by the participants and witnessed by a representative of the COAS, was one of the highlights of the event’s opening ceremony.