The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu has described the growth of Army Aviation and the enhancement of Unmanned Aerial Systems as central to maintaining operational superiority in a complex threat environment marked by insurgency, armed banditry and trans-border criminality.
General Shaibu stated this during a strategic engagement at Army Headquarters with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Mr Richard Pheelangwa.
A statement issued by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele said the Chief of Army Staff stressed that modernisation efforts require predictable funding, efficient procurement systems and robust logistical support to avoid capability gaps.
He said “sustained resource flows were necessary to maintain airworthiness standards, training cycles and operational continuity.”
The Permanent Secretary reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to administrative synergy, policy support and resource governance in backing the aviation expansion and broader modernisation agenda.
If sustained, the aviation upgrade could recalibrate the Army’s operational posture by deepening air-ground integration, strengthening deterrence capacity and improving adaptability in fluid security environments.
The Nigerian Army is accelerating the expansion of its aviation wing as part of a broader modernisation drive aimed at improving response speed, operational precision and battlefield coordination across multiple internal security theatres.