The Nigerian Army’s Acting Director of Physical Training, Brigadier General Abdulrahman Bello has hailed Chief of Army Staff Major General Taoreed Lagbaja for his tremendous transformation in sports since assuming office.
Brig General Bello made the remarks on Sunday after the COAS Spikers volleyball team won their various matches on Day 4 of the on-going 2023 Nigeria Volleyball Premier League in Abuja.
Bello stated that the results obtained can be due to appropriate preparations prior to the start of the league.
“We give glory to God and Major General Taoreed Labaja, Chief of Army Staff, for giving us this opportunity to present the Nigerian Army (NA) team to the nation,” he stated.
“All of this was possible because of the financial assistance and support provided by Army headquarters.
“These volleyball league players have been in camp and have been training for it.” So the success is not surprising to me since they trained for it and we got it.
“As you can see, the morning match was quite exciting. We lost the first two sets against the Kada Kings but defeated them in the third, fourth, and fifth set. We could not have done it without the help and hard work of our players.”
When asked about his motivation for resurrecting the COAS Shooters handball team, he stated that involvement in sports demands fitness and that troops can acquire fitness by participating in sports.
“We know the importance of sports in the NA; without sports, you cannot have a soldier,” Bello added.
“Sports are about physical fitness, so what we are trying to do is that the Chief of Army Staff wants us to be fit to fight and win a war, and the only way we can be fit to fight and win a war is via physical training.
“To ensure that many of us are physically ready to fight and win a war, he concluded, the Chief of Army Staff is investing in every sport to determine how we can engage our soldiers to revive many of these activities,” he said.
