Pulse.ng : God’ll see us through victory in all challenges facing Nigeria

By Muhammad Tijjani

The Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Maj.-Gen. John Ochai, says God will see Nigeria through victory in the myriad of challenges facing the nation including insecurity.

Ochai said this at a Sunday Church service in Kaduna in commemoration of the academy’s 60th anniversary.

He stressed that the Nigerian Armed Forces have utmost regards to the Almighty God, thereby owing all the victories they achieved in areas where they participated to restore law, order and peace.

“The blessings of God were evident in all our victories,”he said.

The commandant expressed optimism that all the challenges being faced by the armed forces would result to victory for the good people of Nigeria and to the world at large.

Speaking on the Church sermon which touched on loyalty, the commandant said it was what the NDA stood for since its establishment.

Ochai stressed that from the 1st regular course to the present 75th, loyalty and valour, which is the motto of NDA, has been upheld strongly.

He explained the loyalty to constituted authorities, political leaders, the armed forces themselves, the society and most importantly, to the Nigerian people who they were meant to protect.

“We owe loyalty to civilians, it is through the taxpayers’ money that we are paid and maintained,”the commandant said.

Ochai, therefore, said that the significance of the service was to thank God for His mercies.

He recalled that it started on Friday at the NDA Mosque where Muslim cadets and staff thanked Allah for keeping them alive to witness the academy’s 60th anniversary.

“Here today also, we are in a thanksgiving mood. The uniqueness of our thanksgiving is that both Muslims and Christians participate in each other’s event, if they are interested.
“There are a lot of Christian staff and cadets here today, this signifies our unity, ” he said.

Also, Lt.-Col. (Rev) Adamu Emmanuel, NDA’s Chaplain, Protestant, said the thanksgiving, which was aimed at thanking God for his mercies through the years of the academy, was also on trusting God for a better and glorious future.

He added that the thanksgiving was not only to thank God, but for praying and committing the academy into His hands for a better future.

Emmanuel stressed the need for loyalty, which was the central message of his sermon, adding that it cut across not only to the NDA, but most importantly to the country.

“As officers and staff of the NDA, when we put loyalty first in all we do, the academy will not only be better, but much glorious and greater,”he said.(NAN)