Army Chief demands strategic leadership as force expands to 12 divisions
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has charged officers trained in strategic leadership to deploy their expertise in strengthening the newly created divisions and other formations of the Nigerian Army.
Gen. Shaibu gave the charge on Friday in Abuja at the graduation ceremony of 43 participants of the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 4/2025 conducted by the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC).
The Army chief said the 11-month programme was designed to improve the professional proficiency of officers, particularly Lieutenant Colonels of the Direct Regular Commission, and equip them with the competencies required to assume higher responsibilities.
According to him, the training had prepared the officers to provide professional advice to commanders and effectively discharge their responsibilities when appointed to command positions.
“The course has equipped the various officers who have passed through it with the requisite competencies to offer professional advice to various commanders or, when they are in command, to carry out the tasks before them properly.
“Most of the postings have been released, and they have been posted to various formations, including the newly created divisions.
“It is expected that they will bring added value to the running of those divisions and do their jobs properly,” he said.
Gen. Shaibu said the need for strategically minded officers had become more important following the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s force structure from eight to 12 divisions, as well as the creation of additional formations and units.
He said the expansion required more than additional manpower and equipment, stressing that the Army also needed intellectually prepared officers capable of providing effective leadership, sound staff work and strategic direction.
The COAS charged the graduands to bring added value to the formations and appointments to which they were deployed, whether in command, staff, policy, training or administrative roles.
He said their training should translate into improved planning, better decision-making and stronger institutional performance across the service.
The Army chief noted that the contemporary security environment had become increasingly complex, with Nigeria facing threats including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, transnational organised crime, cyber threats and information warfare.
He therefore urged the officers to develop the capacity to look beyond immediate tactical challenges and apply strategic thinking to emerging national security threats.
Shaibu charged them to deploy the knowledge acquired during the programme in developing innovative responses that combine kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to national security.
He also urged the officers to sustain their commitment to reading, research and critical thinking, while questioning existing assumptions and adapting to emerging security challenges.
According to him, the officers’ future professional performance should demonstrate the value of the investment made by the Nigerian Army in their development.
Earlier, the Director-General of NARC, retired Maj.-Gen. James Myam, described the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course as one of the Centre’s flagship programmes for providing high-level professional and academic education to selected officers.
Myam said the programme was conducted in partnership with the Postgraduate School of the Nigerian Defence Academy to enable participants to critically examine Nigeria’s security challenges and develop the strategic knowledge and skills required to address them.
He said the course was introduced following a training gap identified by Army Headquarters and structured around interconnected areas of leadership, strategy and national security.
According to him, successful participants were awarded a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Strategic Studies through the Nigerian Defence Academy and became eligible for fellowship of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.
The Director of Human Resources Development, NARC, Brig.-Gen. John Majebi, said the philosophy of the programme was to build the capacity and competence of senior officers and enhance their strategic capabilities.
Majebi said the course was designed to improve the participants’ application of leadership in strategic environments by providing relevant knowledge and skills while leveraging their operational experience.
He said the 11-month programme covered leadership and management, policy and strategy, research methodology, psychology, national security and defence economy, entrepreneurship, peace support operations and logistics planning.
Majebi said the 43 graduands comprised one Brigadier-General, 31 Colonels and 11 Lieutenant-Colonels.
He said the graduands were awarded Master’s Degrees in Leadership and Strategic Studies as well as a Fellowship in Leadership and Strategic Studies.
The Nigerian Army Resource Centre was established to support research, policy development, strategic thinking and the continuous advancement of professional military education.I can also make it more analytical and harder-hitting, with the 8-to-12 division expansion as the main news angle.
