FG cancels training of Nigerian soldiers by US

The United States has announced the cancellation of the training of a battalion of the Nigeria Army, at the request of the Federal Government.
It said that the first two phases of the training were conducted between April and August, 2014, noting that it had provided untrained civilian personnel
with basic soldiering skills.

A statement from the Information Office of the US Embassy in Abuja, on Monday, regretted what it described as the premature termination of the exercise programme, which it said would have
trained the Nigerian soldiers to build their capacity to counter the Boko Haram terrorists.

The US government, however, said it would continue other aspects of the extensive bilateral security relationship, as well as all other assistance programmes.
The statement read, “At the request of the Nigerian government, the United States will discontinue its training of a Nigerian Army battalion. The first two. phases of training were conducted between April
and August 2014, and had provided previously untrained civilian personnel with basic soldiering skills.

“Based on mutual assessment of the Nigerian. Army and U.S. trainers, a third iteration of training was agreed upon with the intent of developing the battalion into a unit with advanced infantry skills.
“We regret the premature termination of this training, as it was to be the first in a larger planned project that would have trained additional units with the goal of helping the Nigerian Army build capacity
to counter Boko Haram.”

But a source in a strategic office close to the Federal Government operations, said Nigeria had more pressing problems to deal with than the training of military personnel, noting that members of the Nigeria Army “are well trained already and they don’t need any further training from the Americans.”