Maj.-Gen. Abdusalam Ibrahim, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, has advised all commanders in the division to mentor soldiers serving under them.
Ibrahim gave the advice during a sensitization lecture on ”Mentoring of Young Soldiers and Emotional Intelligence” held at the Cantonment, on Thursday.
This was contained in a statement by Lt.- Col. Ishaku Takwa, Acting Deputy Director, of Army Public Relations.
The GOC, who doubles as the Commander, of Operation Safe Haven, said that the commanders must be ready to support and respond to the plight of their subordinates at all times.
”Mentorship develops values and holistic well-being, assists in raising highly skilled and professional soldiers, develops potentials, breaks down silo mentality, and enhances the transfer of institutional knowledge.
”To be a good mentor, the person must possess good listening skills, be honest, willing to share, impart knowledge, and motivate others,” he said.
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The GOC explained that the training was in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s vision of having a professional army ready to accomplish the assigned mission within a joint environment in the defense of Nigeria.
He also advised Senior Non-Commissioned Officers to show deeper interest in the career development and welfare of young soldiers deployed to their units.
In a lecture, Brig.-Gen. Oladele Arogundade said the purpose of mentorship is to discover hidden potentials, aid future deployments, and improve the professionalism of troops.
He added that it was necessary in recognising and understanding the emotions of subordinates and how to manage them.
Arogundade said that it was imperative for commanders to build and improve relationships with subordinates in order to successfully accomplish assigned tasks.
