The National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, in partnership with the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation (NSSF) on Saturday, organised the maiden edition of the National Defence College Course 34 Graduation Shooting Competition in Abuja.
The event, held at the National Shooting Range of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, formed part of activities marking the graduation of Course 34 participants.
The competition brought together senior military officers, members of the NDC faculty, Course 34 participants and other stakeholders in shooting sports.
The event was hosted by the Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, while the Chief of Defence Administration, Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Gideon Kachim, served as Special Guest of Honour.
Speaking at the event, Rear Admiral Gideon Kachim described the competition as a novel initiative capable of promoting discipline, physical fitness, mental alertness and camaraderie among participants.
Kachim said shooting, apart from being a sport, requires deliberate and disciplined actions that can positively influence an individual’s approach to everyday life.
He commended the commandant of the National Defence College for organising the competition and said the principles of marksmanship, including patience, concentration, precision and the ability to follow through, could be applied beyond the shooting range.
According to him, the activity would also help personnel occupy their time productively while sharpening their shooting skills.
Kachim noted that participants could transfer the discipline required in aligning a firearm with a target, exercising patience before taking a shot and following through with an action into their professional and personal lives.
He said the initiative would contribute to developing better-trained and more disciplined personnel.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, described shooting as an important sport with significant potential for Nigeria.
Dikko said the National Sports Commission is determined to support every sport based on its comparative advantage, stressing that Nigeria could not focus only on traditionally popular sports such as football and athletics if the country wanted to increase its chances of winning medals at major international competitions.
He identified shooting as an Olympic sport that deserved greater attention and development.
According to him, the commission would work with the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation to improve infrastructure and develop pathways for emerging talents discovered through domestic competitions.
Dikko said the shooting range at the National Stadium had been in existence for a long time and would require attention to enable athletes to train and compete at a higher level.
He explained that domestic competitions would serve as a platform for identifying talented shooters who could subsequently be sponsored to participate in international competitions.
Read also:
- Nimrod Hails Nigeria’s U-18 Beach Volleyball Triumph, Challenges Team To Conquer Senior Level
- Nimrod Hails Customs CG Adeniyi’s Commitment To Volleyball Development
- Nimrod Celebrates Nigeria’s U18 Boys After Maiden African Volleyball Championship Victory
President of the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation, Commodore Shettima Shagir, said the competition is part of efforts to make shooting sports more popular and accessible to Nigerians.
Shagir said the federation’s partnership with the military is important because the armed forces remain the natural custodians of shooting and firearms training.
He recalled that the federation recently organised the maiden Nigerian Navy Shooting Tournament, describing the NDC competition as another significant step towards expanding the sport.
According to him, the federation deliberately began its grassroots engagement with military institutions while simultaneously creating opportunities for members of the public to understand shooting as a sport.
