In a definitive statement outlining the future trajectory of Nigeria’s land forces, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has declared a comprehensive overhaul of personnel training and welfare as the cornerstone of his command philosophy. This strategic shift, announced at the closing ceremony of the COAS Annual Conference 2025 in Lagos, signals a move beyond reactive operations towards building a fundamentally more capable and sustainable military institution.
By Oladapo Udom
Lagos, Dec. 18, 2025 (NAN) – Concluding a four-day strategic review, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu framed his vision for the Nigerian Army not merely as an incremental update, but as a necessary transformation to meet an “increasingly complex” operational environment. The conference, serving as the army’s annual stock-taking exercise, provided the platform to launch this ambitious agenda for 2026 and beyond.
The centerpiece of this transformation is a “total overhaul” of training curricula across all Nigerian Army schools. Shaibu’s logic is rooted in a fundamental military principle: realistic training directly dictates operational success. This means moving away from generic exercises towards “mission-specific and focused training” designed by the Army Headquarters’ Department of Training. For example, a soldier deployed in the Niger Delta’s creek environments would undergo vastly different simulated drills than one stationed in the arid Sahelian front, each tailored to the specific threats and terrain they face.
This training revolution is particularly acute for specialized units. The COAS singled out the Special Forces School for “radical but informed changes” to its training and operational activities in 2026. This suggests an intent to develop a more elite, agile, and strategically deployable tip-of-the-spear capability, crucial for counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and other high-risk missions.
Shaibu grounded this training imperative in a sober intelligence assessment presented at the conference. The modern battlefield, he noted, is no longer confined to physical terrain. It extends into the cyber domain and is shaped by “global shifts in the character of warfare.” Consequently, enhancing capabilities in Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and cyber operations is no longer optional but existential. This acknowledges that future conflicts will be won as much by data analysts and cyber-defenders as by infantrymen, requiring a new breed of technologically literate soldiers.
However, Shaibu’s vision extends beyond the battlefield to the barracks and the soldier’s life cycle. He directly linked combat readiness to holistic welfare, announcing a major two-pronged housing initiative. To address the immediate “crisis of accommodation shortages,” he has directed the completion and allocation of all ongoing residential projects and initiated new ones across divisional barracks. As a stopgap, a widespread barracks renovation program will be undertaken.
More strategically, the COAS is tackling the often-neglected issue of post-service life. By commissioning the “Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers” project in Ibadan, he aims to provide long-term security and alleviate a significant source of pre-retirement anxiety for personnel. This focus on post-service housing is a profound retention and morale strategy; a soldier who is secure in his future is likely to be more focused and committed in the present.
The success of this ambitious agenda, Shaibu conceded, hinges on continued support from the nation’s political leadership, particularly for the procurement of critical military hardware (“hardware”) and software systems. He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for sustained support and reaffirmed the Army’s loyalty to the Constitution and the Commander-in-Chief.
In essence, Lt.-Gen. Shaibu’s announcements represent a holistic blueprint. It connects realistic training to evolving threats, pairs technological integration with human welfare, and links immediate operational readiness to long-term institutional resilience. The coming year will be a critical test of how effectively these interconnected priorities can be codified, funded, and implemented to forge the “more professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient force” he envisions.
(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
OUU/COF
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Edited by Christiana Fadare
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