The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has charged 43 officers who completed an 11-month strategic leadership programme to apply their training to strengthen formations of the Nigerian Army, including its newly created divisions.
Shaibu gave the charge on Friday in Abuja during the graduation ceremony of participants in the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 4/2025, organised by the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.
The Army Chief said the programme was designed to improve the proficiency of officers and prepare them for higher command, staff and strategic responsibilities.
He noted that most of the graduates had already been posted to various formations, including the newly created divisions, and urged them to use their knowledge and experience to improve planning, decision-making and overall performance in their new assignments.
Shaibu said the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the creation of additional formations and units, had increased the need for officers capable of providing effective leadership, sound staff work and strategic direction.
He also urged the officers to develop innovative responses to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, transnational organised crime, cyber threats and information warfare.
The Chief of Army Staff advised the graduates to continue reading, researching and questioning assumptions while adapting to emerging threats. He said the value of their training would ultimately be measured by how they think, advise commanders, make decisions and influence outcomes in their respective assignments.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, retired Maj. Gen. James G.K. Myam, said the programme was established after the Army identified a training gap among officers requiring advanced education in leadership, strategy and national security.
According to him, the programme was conducted in partnership with the Postgraduate School of the Nigerian Defence Academy and combined professional military education with academic training focused on contemporary security challenges.
The 43 graduands comprised one Brigadier-General, 31 Colonels and 11 Lieutenant-Colonels. They were awarded Master’s Degrees in Leadership and Strategic Studies through the Nigerian Defence Academy and fellowships in the field.
The course covered areas including leadership and management, policy and strategy, research methodology, national security, defence economics, psychology, entrepreneurship, peace support operations and logistics planning.
The latest deployment is part of the Army’s broader effort to strengthen its leadership capacity as it expands its force structure and responds to an increasingly complex security environment.
