GOC 2 Division Visits 148 Battalion Ikere-Ekiti, Urges Troops To Adhere To Nigerian Army Core Values

GOC 2 Division Visits 148 Battalion Ikere-Ekiti, Urges Troops To Adhere To Nigerian Army Core Values

In continuation of his familiarisation visits to formations and units since his assumption of command, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Nigerian Army (NA), Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, has visited 148 Battalion in Ikere-Ekiti. He was received on arrival at the Battalion’s Headquarters by the Commanding Officer (CO), Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Dimka, on 5 September 2026.

Speaking during the visit, the GOC charged officers and soldiers of the Battalion to adhere to the core values of the NA. The values include

loyalty, selfless service, courage, discipline, integrity, and respect for others, adding that if they adhere to those values, they will remain the professional soldiers they are. Additionally, he urged them to eschew substance abuse, indiscriminate use of social media, and other associated vices.

He reassured them that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has prioritised their welfare through the Soldiers First Concept, adding that the recent salary increment is a demonstration of that fact. He urged them to do more in safeguarding lives and property in Ekiti State.

Furthermore, the GOC admonished Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs), who, he said, are the bridge between officers and soldiers, to be exemplary. As SNCOs, he said they are expected to be mentors to the younger generation of soldiers, stressing that they must be mentors both in character and knowledge. This, he said, is the only way they can bequeath a legacy for posterity.

The visit was part of the GOC’s maiden familiarisation visits to formations and units under his command in order to have an on-the-spot assessment of how they are faring. The visit climaxed with an operational brief by the CO, 148 Battalion, Lt Col Dimka, as well as the GOC’s address to the troops.