A delegation of officers from the Army War College Nigeria who are on a Geo-Strategic Study Tour in Uganda on June 15th 2023, had an engagement with the strategic leadership of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Headquarters Mbuya.
The Joint Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Leopold Kyanda, on behalf of the Chief of Defence Forces, General Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, praised the Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian Armed Forces for their continued friendship and bilateral cooperation with Uganda, specifically the Ministry of Defence and UPDF, on matters of defence and security.
“This tour presents a valuable opportunity to share experiences and seek solutions to global security challenges. This is because Africa in particular is shaped by its location, natural resources, and competing foreign interests, which have socio-economic, political, and security connotations that call for new approaches, strategies, and partnerships to deal with common security challenges,” said Kyanda.
Maj Gen Kyanda praised the Nigerian Government and Army War College for embracing and supporting initiatives at the bilateral, regional, and international levels aimed at finding sustainable solutions to cross-cutting security issues that affect peace and stability.
Speaking at the same function, the Chief Political Commissar (CPC), Maj Gen Henry Masiko, confirmed Uganda’s commitment to Africa’s integration, which will lead to economic and later political integration.
Masiko confirmed UPDF’s commitment to supporting all initiatives and protocols aimed at combating the existing security threats. He encouraged them to keep on networking, sharing, and exchanging relevant information that may guide strategic military decisions in order to ensure sustainable peace, stability, and socioeconomic transformation.
“Africa has four broader original groups: the Bantu/Kwa, the Nilotic-Luo in the Sahel African region, the Afro-Asiatic/Hamitic group, and the Khoisan group. For us to remain relevant, the answer is definitely not to remain the way we are. Integration is not a matter of luxury but a matter of survival,” Masiko said.
The head of the visiting delegation and Commandant of the Army War College Nigeria, Maj Gen Bamidele, said that there is a need for Nigeria to borrow a leaf from Uganda and the UPDF in particular to ensure it protects its assets like oil, gas, and population. He called upon both countries to engage more in terms of military cooperation and the exchange of students.
“History has it that Uganda is one of the most stable countries in Africa, and we admire the approaches that you use to achieve this. You do not allow traitors to come but rather move and check for traitors before they come,” said Maj. Gen. Bamidele.
The lecture was attended by Uganda’s Defence Attaché in Abuja, Brig Gen Herbert Mbonye, the Nigerian Defence Representative to Uganda based in Addis Ababa, Col Rufia Umar Mairiga, and Generals and Senior Officers of the UPDF.
