Nigerian Army Chief urges strategic leadership against evolving security threats

Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has called on senior officers to adopt strategic thinking and innovative leadership to combat Nigeria’s evolving security landscape. Speaking at the graduation of the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 4/2025 at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja, Shaibu emphasized that traditional solutions may no longer suffice against modern threats.

He identified a complex array of contemporary challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, transnational organized crime, cyber threats, and information warfare. Shaibu noted that these issues are increasingly intertwined with political, economic, and social dynamics, requiring military leaders to look beyond immediate tactical concerns.

The COAS stressed the importance of integrating both kinetic and non-kinetic instruments of national power. He highlighted that as the Nigerian Army expands from eight to 12 divisions, there is a heightened need for officers capable of providing strategic direction, research, and policy analysis to anticipate and prevent national security threats.