Navy Conducts 2015 Second Quarter route march
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigerian Navy on Saturday in Abuja conducted its 2015 Second Quarter 10km route march for officers and ratings of the service.
The route march meant to ensure that officers and ratings of the navy were physically fit to discharge their constitutional responsibilities started from the Mogadishu Cantonment at Asokoro to Niger Barracks and back to the cantonment.
According to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Usman Jibrin, the march was part of the 2015 calendar of events for the Navy.
Jubri, who was represented by the Navy Chief of Administration, Rear Adm. Goddy Anyankpele, said that it was expected that all naval formation across the country also carried out the march.
He added that the exercise would assist the personnel to keep fit and do their job effectively wherever they were deplored.
“The exercise is all about keeping fit and that is what is expected of any member of the Armed Forces to remain physically and medically fit.
“So, we do this every quarter, four times in a year and as it taking place here in Abuja, it is also taking place in all naval formations across the country.
“And the essence is for us to assess our physical and medical fitness for naval authority to know our state of health, so that if at short notice, we can be deployed,’’ he said.
The naval chief revealed that the naval personnel who were deployed to north-east to fight terrorists could not have done a good job if they were not physical and mentally fit.
He commended the officers for going through the routes and back without any mishap.
“I can see that a lot of you participated in this route march with a lot of zeal and high spirit. I like to commend you all.”
The Director of Sports, Nigerian Navy, Commodore Omatseye Niesiama, who also participated in the event said, a military officer should also be mentally alert and psychologically stable, and thus navy encourage the personnel to engage in fitness exercise three times a week in ensuring that the officers were fit.
“We do this march quarterly, four times a year and this has been done in the last two years.
“Everybody who participated in the exercise completed the exercise and it is a good sign”.