'GEN AB DAMBAZAU TAKES OVER AS CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF ON 28TH AUGUST 2008' 

ON THURSDAY 28 AUGUST 2008

I want to begin by expressing gratitude to the Almighty Allah for this trust in leadership of the Nigerian Army, saddled on me. A trust accompanied with lots of challenges especially of fairness, justice and equity. I also want to thank Mr President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, for finding me worthy of this appointment. Therefore I want to give the assurances that I would discharge my responsibilities with due regards to the highest standards required of the military profession. I will serve my tenure with honour and dignity, and guaranteed loyalty of all personnel of the Nigerian Army. There are lots of challenges ahead but first it is important that I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessors to move the Nigerian Army forward. I am particularly privy to the relentless efforts of the immediate past COAS to revive training among other things, and I assure you that these efforts would be sustained.

The major challenges currently bedeviling the Nigerian Army are enormous, and they impact on the broad areas of training, logistics and administration, which collectively constitute the tripodal structure on which military professionalism rests. Consequent upon these realities, there is a manifest decline of discipline, regimentation, commitment, welfare, command and control, and other associated problems, throughout the Nigerian Army. We must reverse these negative trends as well as restore the professional integrity of the Nigerian Army and the pride of the Soldier. Accordingly, concerted efforts would be directed at revamping discipline, regimentation, core values, command responsibilities, staff efficiency, training, welfare, physical and mental fitness, to mention a few.

The cooperation, support and prayers of everyone of you are necessary in order to achieve the desired effect. One of the greatest challenges for the Nigerian Army in the current dispensation is the need to maintain the time tested military ethos and values. The traditions of honour, morality, justice, sacrifice and inherited legacies that took considerable length of time to build are on the decline. Sequel to this development, several forms of attitudinal problems have manifested in units and elsewhere throughout the Nigerian Army. Overtime, some officers and soldiers have become accustomed to illegal duties; care free attitude towards welfare of troops; involvement in criminal activities; disobedience to standing orders; poor attendance of scheduled activities; neglect of regimentation; poor leadership; etc, etc. For attitudinal change to succeed, we must face our duties squarely and responsibly too. As a matter of fact, it is command responsibility for those entrusted with men to engage them meaningfully and lawfully. This implies that commanders would be held accountable for any misdemeanor by men under command. We have travelled some distance in our transformation efforts, but lots more need to be covered. We shall take advantage of the on-going Nigerian Army transformation initiative, the new staffing system (CGSS), modern information and communication technologies, to build a truly modern Army.

In our quest to reposition the Nigerian Army for optimal performance, our guiding principles will continue to be discipline, dedication to duty and loyalty. Accordingly, the pervasive culture of inertia and complacency especially amongst junior leadership which has remained a bane on discipline would not be tolerated. We must therefore take our command responsibilities serious in order to discharge our duties responsibly. This implies that all officers and SNCOs must exercise full authority over their subordinates and also maintain zero tolerance for indiscipline and unprofessional conduct in all ramifications. Achieving these standards only requires purposeful and exemplary leadership on the part of commanders. In the same vain, there is the need to re-emphasise those aspects of regimentation which bring out high standard of discipline and espirit-de-corps amongst personnel. The mounting logistics and administrative challenges currently being experienced throughout the Nigerian Army is taking a heavy toll on personnel welfare and training activities. Virtually, our transport system/ lift capabilities, building infrastructures (including electricity, water supply, and roads), and training facilities, are in varying states of decay or even non-existent. The situation is further compounded by general deficiencies of other essentials like vehicles, stores and training aids across Nigerian Army formations, schools and units with attendant consequences on routine activities, training and exercises, as well as troop’s morale. While the current state of affairs could be attributed to various reasons, we cannot absolve ourselves of the collective guilt of poor maintenance culture.

CURRICULUM VITAE 

MAJOR GENERAL ABDULRAHMAN BELLO DAMBAZAU GSS DSS psc ndc fwc(+) PhD

CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF NIGERIAN ARMY 

1.       Major General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau an indigene of Takai Local Government Area of Kano State was born on 14 March 1954 at Zaria, Kaduna State. After his primary school education, he gained admission into the prestigious Barewa College Zaria from 1970-1974.  On graduation in June 1974, admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna as a member of the 17 Regular Combatant Course. On successful completion of his Officer Cadet training, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army in June 1977.

2.       During the course of his military career, he has held numerous command, instructional and staff appointments. On command, he was a Platoon Commander at both 146 Infantry Battalion and later 4 Provost Battalion also as a Platoon Commander. He was Group Commander 3 Provost Group from 1990 – 1991 and later 1 Provost Group 1992 – 1993. Until his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, last week, he was the General Officer Commanding 2 Division Nigerian Army.

3.       As part of his numerous contribution on training, General Dambazau served as the Registrar/Instructor, Nigerian Defence Academy (1993-1999) and later Chief Instructor,  at the Support weapon Wing of the Infantry Centre and School from 1999 – 2001 and later a Directing Staff the then National War College from 2004 – 2006.  Subsequently, he became the Director, Higher Military Organization and Operations at the same Institution in 2006. This earned him the highly revered appellation of the Fellow of the War College Dagger (fwc [+]).

4.       Major General AB Dambazau has also held several staff appointments before his appointment as the 26th Chief of Army Staff. He was a Staff Officer at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military in 1979 before he became an Aide-de-Camp to the then Chief of Army Staff.  He was also a Special Investigator at the Special investigation Bureau of the NACMP from 1984 – 1985.  Subsequently, he was appointed Military Assistant to the Director Army Training and Operations at the Army Headquarters. The Chief of Army Staff was again a Staff Officer at the Headquarters of NACMP for one year before his appointment as Military Assistant to the Principal Joint Staff Officer, Joint Headquarters.  He was the Colonel Logistics at the Infantry Centre and School from 2001-2002. Major General Dambazau served as the Principal General Staff officer to the Honourable Minister of Defence (PGSO-HMOD) in 2006. In January 2007, he was appointed the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation (CASE).

5.       Since his commission as an officer, General Dambazau, in addition to the Young Officers and Surveillance Platoon Commanders Courses he attended at the then Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI) in 1978, he has over the years, attended both civil and military courses within and outside Nigeria that earned him several academic qualifications and awards which includes Certificates, Diploma, Bachelors’ Degree, two Masters’ Degree and a Doctorate Degree. He was at the United States Military Police School, Fort MacLelan where he earned a Diploma in Military Police Basic Training and later went to Kent State University, Ohio, from 1980-1984, for a Bachelors’ Degree in Criminal Justice and Masters Degree in International Relations. He also attended the University of Keele, United Kingdom between 1986 and 1989 where he was awarded a Doctorate Degree in Criminology. Earlier, he attended the then Command and Staff College for his Junior Staff course in 1985where he graduated with impressive result. Having excelled at the Senior Staff Course Qualifying Examination (SSCQE), he was nominated to attend the prestigious Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College for the Senior Division Course from 1991-1992 and as usual, he graduated with excellent results. The Chief of Army Staff also returned to the Infantry Centre and School Jaji for the Commanding Officers’ Course before proceeding to India’s National Defence College, New Delhi in 2003 for his Higher Strategic Military Course.

e.       Criminology and Criminal Justice, Second Edition, Spectrum Books, 2007.

7.       He has also written over eleven published papers on the United Nations, the Media, Human and Drug trafficking, as well as on Democracy and the Rule of Law among other topics. A highly versatile senior officer, he is a member of five national and international professional bodies, these include, Director/Member, International Police Executive symposium, American Society of Criminology, Nigerian Institute of Management Consultants, International Society for Criminology and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.