At the Nigerian Army's 177 Guards Battalion 2023 WASA, which was held on Friday at the Shitu Alao Barracks in the Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa state, Sule delivered the commendation.
In the person of his deputy, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, Sule expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Army for upholding tradition and described WASA as a chance for officers and soldiers to interact and revisit their customs.
He went on to say that upholding WASA was evidence of the Nigerian Army's resolve and commitment to establish a means of interacting socially with other soldiers and their families and to incorporate it into the unit's yearly operations.
Additionally, he stated that the primary goal of the WASA was to guarantee that, despite the demands of military life, troops and commanders would not lose or reject their customs and cultures.
"I am glad that the Nigerian Army has upheld the WASA tradition because a lost generation is any group of people who do not have traditions or culture."The Nigerian Army is cognizant of the necessity to preserve these customs and cultures at all times.
"There's a saying that goes, 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,' so I'm happy to see officers, men, and their families relaxing," he remarked.
He expressed gratitude to the battalion's officers and the commanding officer for organizing the 2023 edition and pledged to be present at future events because of their importance in promoting the nation's diverse cultures and customs and fortifying ties between various ethnic groups within the armed forces.
The Nigerian Army's Lt. Col. Auwalu Inuwa, Commanding Officer of the 177 Guards Battalion, had earlier stated that WASA was established to remove commanders and troops from their regimental routine and place them in an environment where they could freely relax and unwind with civilians and one another.
In addition to providing staff members and their families with a socially engaging environment to celebrate the end of the year events, he stated that it also aims to preserve national customs and traditions.
According to Inuwa, the West African soldiers under their command, known as the British West African units that made up the West African Frontier Force during the colonial era, had a variety of cultural preferences, which drove the British colonial authority to develop WASA.
"WASA was established by the colonial authority and is an annual organization that satisfies troops' requests to engage with their local cultural heritage.
This cultural inheritance took the form of sacrifices, which were typically made to their gods and ancestors at the conclusion of the harvest or the start of the planting seasons in exchange for bountiful harvests, peace, and advancement in the coming year.
Instead of sending delegates to the many communities whose members had children in the military, the military instead instituted these traditions and called it WASA.
As a result, the Nigerian Army continued this custom after independence to give soldiers more self-assurance. "This unit is on its 24th edition," he stated.