The effort of the Defence Headquarters to equip the Armed Forces of Nigeria with requisite manpower and skill to promote efficiency has received a boost with the graduation of 15 engineering students, drawn from the 3 Services. The graduating technical students who were trained at the Armed Forces Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (AFEME) Mechatronics School, Abuja, comprised 7 soldiers from the Nigerian Army, 4 Ratings from the Nigerian Navy and 4 Airmen from the Nigerian Air Force.
AFEME Mechatronics School was established in May 2015 by the Defence Headquarters in partnership with German Technical Advisory Group (G-TAG) to meet automobile mechanical and electrical needs of the Nigerian military. The establishment of the Mechatronic school was therefore a response to the challenges of modern day engineering practice by the technical personnel of the Nigerian Military. The 15 graduands had undergone rigorous training for a period of 2 years, which commenced from May 2017 to May 2019.
In his remark during the graduation ceremony, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, noted that the objective of AMS is to provide for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), technicians that would be capable of tackling the complex challenges of maintaining automobiles that are currently in the inventory of the AFN and those that would be acquired in future.
Represented by the Chief of Defence Logistics, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, the Chief of Defence Staff assured that the Defence Headquarters would continue to partner and support the School, especially towards facilitating all projects. He expressed profound gratitude to the German government and G-TAG for their support to the AFN and their assistance in the actualization of several laudable projects of international standard.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commanding Officer of the School, Lieutenant Colonel Ebiowei Odede, adjudged the performance of the graduating students to be satisfactory, adding that Mechatronics is multidisciplinary and has added value to the technical competence of the graduands. He pointed out, that their training would be of great benefit to the services. Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of certificates and the German Proficiency Medals to the graduating students.
Present at the occasion were the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Bernhard Schlagheck and the representatives of the Service Chiefs. Officials from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASEI) also graced the occasion.
ONYEMA NWACHUKWU
Colonel
Acting Director Defence Information
