Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Wahidi Shaibu, has inaugurated the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 2025, placing emphasis on equipping senior officers with enhanced leadership, strategic thinking, and national security acumen.
General Shaibu performed the inauguration at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, describing the course as a professional and academic milestone critical to preparing officers for the demands of leadership in both military and national contexts.
Represented by the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Future and Heritage Centre, Major General Teriworie Gagariga, he explained that the need to bridge gaps between the training of direct regular commission senior officers of the Nigerian Army and that of their combatant counterparts led to the establishment of the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course.
He highlighted that previous iterations of the course have successfully produced senior officers with stronger leadership and strategic capabilities,
He noted that the programme equips participants with skills in policy analysis, research, and advanced strategic thinking.
“Since the course’s inception, the outcomes of each successive course, as well as reports received from the field, have demonstrated that the establishment of this course was a good call,” the officer stated.
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Participants were reminded that the course is a unique career opportunity intended to strengthen both cognitive and practical competencies while linking them with prior field experience.
He also emphasised that officers must actively engage with the curriculum, questioning and analysing the strategic direction of the Nigerian Army to contribute to operational excellence.
“This course is designed to equip you with the requisite cognitive skills, inter- and intra-personal relationships, and practical competencies to be linked with the robust field experiences you have gained over the years,” he said.
The Director General of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, retired Major General James Myam, highlighted that the 11-month course is designed to deepen officers’ understanding of the link between military leadership, strategy, and national development.
“Expectations are that at the end of this course, all of you will be better leaders, ready to take up additional responsibility in the field and apply the knowledge and strategies that will be inculcated in you to tackle current and future challenges that will confront you in your units and formations,” he stated.
The course is conducted in collaboration with the Postgraduate School of the Nigerian Defence Academy, combining lectures, study tours, seminars, and exercises to provide a fully immersive learning experience.