Koko Maxwella 
NDC Commandant Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s National Defence College (NDC), in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), launches a Senior Mission Leadership Course to strengthen command capacity for peace support operations across the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Abuja on Monday, NDC Commandant Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, represented by Deputy Commandant Air Vice Marshal Kelvin Ukandu, says the programme targets senior leaders confronting evolving security threats.
“Effective mission leadership is critical to the success of peace operations,” Ahmed says. “Weak leadership can undermine stability and reverse hard-won gains.”
He explains that the course addresses terrorism, insurgency, piracy, transnational crime and unconstitutional changes of government, while reinforcing NDC’s role as a Strategic Training Centre of Excellence.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdul-Fatau Musah, represented by Sani Adamu, describes West Africa’s security environment as increasingly complex.
“These challenges demand coordinated regional responses,” Musah says, citing the ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Force and ECOWAS Standby Force as pillars of collective security.
He adds that the leadership course aims to close operational gaps, enhance intelligence sharing and improve coordination in multinational missions.
Security experts say the initiative could strengthen decision-making and operational effectiveness in future ECOWAS-led peace operations.
About the Author
Mirian Gom 
Korede Abdullah 
Oluwafunbi Bello