(The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu. Photo Credit: Nigerian Army)
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff has tasked 43 officers who completed a strategic leadership course to bring their newly acquired skills to the Army’s newly created divisions.
Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu made the charge at a graduation ceremony in Abuja on Friday.
He said the 11-month Leadership and Strategic Studies Course was designed to equip senior officers with the competencies needed for higher responsibilities.
The programme developed their ability to offer sound professional advice to commanders and to handle command positions effectively.
The officers have been posted to various formations including the newly created divisions.
Shaibu said they should add value to how those divisions operate and perform their duties properly.
The Army expanded its force structure from eight divisions to 12 divisions, along with creating additional formations and units.
This expansion required not just more personnel and equipment, but also officers with the intellectual capacity to lead effectively, provide sound staff work and give strategic direction.
Shaibu urged the graduated officers to improve the quality of planning and decision-making wherever they’re deployed, whether in command, staff, policy, training or administrative roles.
He noted that the security environment today involves terrorism, insurgency, banditry, transnational organised crime, cyber threats and information warfare.
Officers need to think beyond immediate tactical concerns and develop innovative responses combining both military and non-military approaches to security.
The 43 graduands included one Brigadier-General, 31 Colonels and 11 Lieutenant-Colonels.
They were awarded Master’s Degrees in Leadership and Strategic Studies and fellowships through the Nigerian Defence Academy.
The course covered leadership, strategy, policy, national security, defence economics and logistics planning.
