President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who is also the Commander in Chief (CIC) of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) on Wednesday delivered a lecture of opportunity to officers and men of the UPDF and the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) who have been undergoing a course at Oliver Tambo School of Leadership, Kaweweta.
The President delivered the opportune lecture to the officers at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala where he told them that East African Federation will address the issue of strategic security.
President Museveni said that in addition to economic integration which addresses matters of prosperity; Africa, and Uganda in particular; should look at political integration to ensure strategic security.
“A federated East Africa will address the issue of strategic security and a common language – Swahili will be a game changer. We need a Center of gravity for the African race,” he explained.
Discussing issues of an economic nature; Gen. Museveni said that the purpose of development in society is to create prosperity for the people. He added that a society which is developed and is in a good situation is one which has managed to create prosperity.
“Prosperity means that you have food, clothing, a good house, and you are using good and clean energy in form of electricity. It also means that you have piped water in the house, good healthcare and your children have access to good and quality education including convenient means of transport,” President Museveni said.
The President advised that one can achieve prosperity through working hard in order to get food and money.
“Therefore, the aim of all this talk is to point out to the people how to achieve prosperity. Prosperity will not come through the primitive way because such is inefficient. The idea of specialisation and exchange is the way to go,” Gen. Museveni said.
In order to ensure prosperity, the President said, society must stop the primitive way of producing for the stomach only and instead produce both for the stomach and the pocket.
The President explained the four sectors of wealth and jobs creation as; Commercial Agriculture with Ekibalo (calculation), Industries (small or big factories), Services (like hotels, transport, civil service) and ICT.
“If you want the people of Africa to become prosperous, then they have to engage in one of the four sectors of wealth and jobs creation. Also, the culture of land fragmentation must stop because this will fail you to get where to cultivate, ” he advised.
After a careful study, the President said, NRM developed the four principles of Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Socio-economic Transformation and Democracy.
“All these things the NRM is talking about are connected; one leads and links to the other. If Africans wake up, they can live a prosperous life.”
The President commended leaders of ISO and those of the Oliver Tambo Leadership School and the other security agencies. He challenged them to keep spreading the gospel of saving Africa from backwardness.
The UPDF Chief Political Commissar, Maj. Gen. Henry Masiko, who represented the Chief of the Defence Forces (UPDF), thanked President Museveni for the continued guidance to the force that has seen it evolve into a strong force.
“I am here to receive you on behalf of the CDF. We reiterate our appreciation for your continued guidance to the force. On our part as UPDF, we are focusing on ideological consciousness of the force. This is a sure way of enhancing good performance,” Maj. Gen. Masiko said.
The UPDF, he said, continues to open doors to other security agencies for joint effort.
The Director General of ISO, Col. Charles Oluka, commended the President for the strategic guidance he gives to the UPDF in general and ISO Officers in particular.
“Thank you for your strategic guidance. The training of ISO Officers is as a result of the cordial relationship that exists between ISO and other security agencies,” Col. Oluka said.
He appealed to the authorities to increase the capacity of ISO staff.
“We have a shortfall of 850 ISO staff. We want more to strengthen our capacity,” he appealed.
He revealed that terrorists have changed tactics and now recruit using ICT, through cyber crime. He accordingly appealed to his staff to upgrade their tactics and counter the terrorists.
Col. Justus Rukundo, the Commandant of the Oliver Tambo School of Leadership, presented to the commander-in-chief; students from two courses, namely; the Pre-deployment Ideological Orientation Course and the Joint Basic Cadre Development Course.
“The Pre-Deployment Ideological Orientation Course intake 04/2022 ran from 2nd June to 29th June 2022 with 284 participants while the Joint Basic Cadre Development Course intake 12/2022 ran from 6th June to 26th August 2022 with 201 participants,” Col. Rukundo said.
He said that the 284 participants that did the Pre-Deployment Ideology Orientation Course came from ISO. Nine (9) out of the two hundred and one (201) participants for the second course were from ISO, the rest were from the UPDF.
“The increased demand for ideological training is due to the need to create a critical mass for transformation,” he noted.
He also revealed that course participants were taken to visit Kawumu demonstration farm in Luweero district to learn modern farming methods and techniques.
After the lecture, the best students were awarded and received gifts. These included Matovu Gonzaga, the best in the Pre-Deployment Ideological Orientation course; Nyabwirimi Simon, best overall and Scovia Kabasumi, the best female student.
The core duty of Oliver Tambo School of Leadership is to teach and train the defence forces leadership and prepare them ideologically so as to have the necessary competence to conceptualise, analyse and understand the global dynamics of yesterday, today and project the possibilities of the tomorrow.
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