We’re Committed To Pragmatic Equipment Upgrade, Realistic Training – Army Chief
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army (NA) to vigorously pursuing realistic training, adequate troops’ sustenance, pragmatic equipment procurement and maintenance.
Lt. Gen. Oluyede made the reiteration on Tuesday, while declaring open the Doctrine and Training Conference for the year 2025 in Minna the Niger state capital.
In his address to participants, General Oluyede identified the 4 key pillars of his Command Philosophy as leadership, sound administration, professionalism, and combat readiness, which he said highlight the importance of Doctrine within the Nigerian Army, stressing that his commitment to equipment upgrade and manpower boost are critical requirements for combat readiness and operational success in the NA.
The Army Chief observed that Nigeria’s current security and defence environments are characterised by both transnational and domestic challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, farmers-herders conflicts as well as economic crimes related to oil and gas pipeline vandalism, and secessionist agitations among others.
In dealing with these challenges, he said, the NA has in the past decade continued to prioritise equipment upgrade and manpower boost.
The COAS clarified that the conference offers a veritable platform for in-depth deliberations on the implementation of doctrine and training directives in the Nigerian Army (NA) for year 2025 and beyond, adding that the conference is in tandem with the mandate of Training and Doctrine Command Nigerian Army (TRADOC) to lead the effort in shifting the paradigm in personnel training as contained in the Nigerian Army Training Directive 2025.
He noted with satisfaction, the alignment of the conference theme, “Understanding Nigerian Army Doctrine for Effective Training within a Joint Environment”, with his Command Philosophy “To Consolidate the Transformation of the Nigerian Army Towards bequeathing a well-motivated and combat-ready force that can effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities within a Joint and multi-agency environment.”
Oluyede expressed optimism that the conference will thoroughly assess Nigeria’s current security and defence environments, critically evaluate the NA’s training curriculum, and propose new ideas on how the Nigerian Army trains and fights.
Delivering his welcome address, the Commander, TRADOC, Maj Gen Kevin Aligbe, pointed out that the conference sets the tone for training activities in all Nigerian Army Training Schools and institutions by drawing inspiration from the extant Nigerian Army’s Proactive Responsive Doctrine to guide the training on how troops fight.
He stated that the tailor-made approach to training is to develop the capacity to respond to the multi-faceted and sometimes mutating security challenges the Nigerian Army is tasked to mitigate.
Major General Aligbe harped on the importance of the NA collaborating with sister services and other government security agencies as well as non-governmental stakeholders to secure the country for economic prosperity and development.
After inauguration of the conference, the COAS also took time to interact with troops in Minna Cantonment, where he assured them that their welfare is topmost in the agenda of his command.
While guaranteeing to strive to address the identified challenges within available resources, the COAS urged the troops to give their best by providing adequate security for socio-economic development in the country.
Lieutenant General Oluyede appreciated the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strategic guidance in the efforts of the Nigerian Army in synergy with sister services and other security agencies to defeat the nation’s adversaries.
