The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has urged senior officers to apply strategic thinking, sound judgement and effective leadership in responding to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
Shaibu gave the charge on Friday at the graduation ceremony of the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 4/2025 at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja.
The 11-month programme was designed to prepare senior officers for higher command, staff and strategic responsibilities within the Nigerian Army’s professional military education system.
The Chief of Army Staff said the contemporary security environment, characterised by terrorism, insurgency, banditry, transnational organised crime, cyber threats, information warfare and emerging technologies, required military leaders to look beyond immediate tactical challenges.
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He said officers must also be able to integrate kinetic and non-kinetic instruments of national power in addressing security challenges.
Shaibu noted that the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the establishment of additional formations and units, had increased the need for officers with the capacity to provide strategic direction, effective leadership and sound staff work.
He said the value of the programme would ultimately be determined, not by the certificates awarded; but by how the graduates think, advise, make decisions and influence outcomes in their future assignments.
He urged them to demonstrate intellectual curiosity, moral courage, integrity, humility, empathy and a commitment to continuous learning.
The Director-General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, retired Major General James G.K. Myam, said the course was established after the Army identified a training gap among officers requiring advanced education in leadership, strategy and national security.
He said the programme, conducted in partnership with the Nigerian Defence Academy Postgraduate School, combines professional and academic education, with participants examining contemporary security challenges and developing the capacity to apply their knowledge to institutional challenges.
According to him, successful participants are awarded Master’s Degrees in Leadership and Strategic Studies through the Nigerian Defence Academy and may qualify for Fellowship of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, subject to stipulated requirements.
The Director, Human Resource, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Brig. Gen. John Majebi, said the course was part of the Centre’s programme for developing strategic capabilities among senior officers through academic knowledge and operational experience.
He disclosed that the 11-month programme commenced on 31 October 2025 and was formally inaugurated on 12 December 2025, with 43 officers comprising one Brigadier General, 31 Colonels and 11 Lieutenant Colonels.
The course covered leadership and management, policy and strategy, research methodology, psychology, national security and defence economy, entrepreneurship, peace support operations and logistics planning.
It also included study programmes at local, national and international levels.
The programme is intended to provide participating officers with further academic and professional preparation for leadership, command and strategic responsibilities within the Nigerian Army.
