ENTEBBE – President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday, March 22, rallied Uganda People’s Defense Air Force (UPDAF) to master using and operating their equipment, co-operate in their squads and always train for confidence in the changing field of technology.
Mr. Museveni made the remarks as he toured and inspected the Entebbe Air Base in Entebbe where he also called upon army officers to learn and apply the principles of National Resistance Army (NRA) wherever they are deployed bearing in mind theirs’ is a liberation force that committed to serving the interests the country.
Mr. Museveni also reiterated the importance of always focusing on the interest of the country to cement the foundation of bringing prosperity as opposed to identity along tribal chauvinism and feudalism.
“Yes identity has got value but it should never eclipse the interests of people. Banyankole cannot buy milk and bananas from each other because they already have them. What they need now is money to build their houses and take their children to school. They can only do this by selling to other Ugandans. We, therefore, found out in our student movement that Uganda was more important than Ankole,” he said.
He noted that as officers engaged in serving the country in the security sector, they should be able to engage in the production of goods and services to serve society and create wealth for themselves.
The President also called on the army to note that socio-economic transformation agenda, saying they must wake up and abandon the old ways of doing things including technology.
You can now see that social media is more used than radios and televisions. Very soon, this old media will phase out because people read the news online and they no longer see the need for newspapers. When you lag behind in science and technology, you disappear,” he noted.
He noted that socio-economic transformation was possible through education and that is why the NRM government had operationalized free education.
The meeting was also attended, among others, by the CDF, Gen. David Muhoozi, Commander Air Forces, Maj. Gen. Charles Lutaaya, Deputy Commander Air Forces, Maj. Gen. Gavas Mygyenyi, and Commander Engineering Brigde, Maj. Gen. Timothy Sabiiti Mutebile.
Others include Chief of Medical Services, Maj. Gen. Dr. Musinguzi, Chief Political Commissar, Brig. Henry Matsiko, Deputy CMI, Brig. Rusoke, Senior and Junior UPDF Officers.