By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Guards Brigade Nigerian Army has commenced its 2025 Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (WOs and SNCOs) Competition at the Guards Brigade Range in Keffi, Nasarawa State with weapon handling and shooting.
The competition, which is a critical part of the army’s training programme, is to reaffirm its commitment to operational readiness, discipline, and excellence.
The Commander, Guards Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Adebisi Onasanya, said that weapon handling and shooting competition marks the official start of the 20 Competition.
Onasanya, who was represented by the Chief of Staff of the Brigade, Col. Abdulrahman Bello, said the competition was a platform for personnel to demonstrate their skills, physical fitness, and leadership under realistic military conditions.
He emphasised that the competition aligns with the Chief of Army Staff’s command philosophy, which aims to transform the Army into a well-trained, equipped, and motivated force capable of fulfilling its constitutional roles in joint and multi-agency operations.
According to him, the event will feature a range of physical and tactical challenges including weapon handling, marksmanship, leadership drills, and organisational exercises, all intended to strengthen combat capabilities and inter-unit cooperation.
“The competition is expected to culminate in the selection of the best-performing units and individuals, with assessments based on strict criteria across the various exercises.
“This event not only fosters esprit de corps but also helps build strategic decision-making and resilience in our troops,” he said.
In his remarks, the Commander, 4 Special Forces Command, Maj.-Gen. Hilary Nzan, emphasised the need for soldiers to be physically fit, tactically sound, and professionally grounded for them to achieve operational success.
Nzan, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, 4 Special Forces Command, Brig.-Gen. Murtala Abuh, said that operational success of every soldier begins with the readiness of body, mind, and mission focus.
He emphasised the importance of continuous physical and tactical training, especially in light of Nigeria’s ongoing complex security challenges.
“This competition could not have come at a more critical time when the Nigerian army had remained at the forefront of the nation’s efforts to secure peace and stability.
“Our personnel must remain physically fit, tactically sound, and professionally grounded.
“The annual competition is designed to sharpen critical military skills, reinforce unit-level cohesion, and assess leadership efficiency,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the participants were drawn from the four battalions of the Guards Brigade comprising 7 Guards Battalion, 176 Guards Battalion, 177 Guards Battalion and Guards Brigade Garrison. (NAN