The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, says the use of purposeful, goal-oriented, and people-oriented leadership has become imperative to boost the effectiveness of ongoing operations across the country.
The Defence Chief made this known during the fourth edition of the Armed Forces of Nigeria Transformation Seminar with the topic “Repositioning the Armed Forces of Tropical Oriented Leadership” held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Represented by the Defence Headquarters Chief of Defence Logistics, Major General Gabriel Ochigbano, the CDS said “The seminar is very apt and timely due to the ongoing operational and administrative engagements of the Armed Forces across the country.”
According to him, the objective of the seminar is to leverage the expertise and experience of the erudite resource persons to stimulate their thoughts and strengthen their resolve to harness the benefits of political leadership in the military’s operations and administration.
“The contemporary and emergent security challenges in the country have assumed an appreciable level of sophistication and dimensions in recent years with its impact on low morale.
“I firmly believe that the use of good leadership will greatly assist the Armed Forces of Nigeria in willful evolution towards intelligence gathering, battle space domain awareness, target selection, acquisition, and interdiction, service writing rules and conventions, document security, cyber warfare and secure communication among others,” he said.
He emphasised that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is an organization charged with the defense of the territorial integrity of the nation and this responsibility is increasingly susceptible to the dangers of the global strategic environment but must be motivated by purposeful leadership, advancement, and innovation.
“So, it has become pertinent to adopt administrative and leadership patterns at different levels of command and also ensure its efficient utilization in order to address the current and evolving security threats in Nigeria,” he said.
He expressed hope that the knowledge gained during the seminar would greatly impact and advance the strategy and the steady successes being recorded by the Armed Forces in the various theatres of operation.
The Chief of Defence Transformation and Innovation, Air Vice Marshal Nkem Aguiyi said the Armed Forces of Nigeria, though an entity with culturally rigid traditions, must explore creative ways to accommodate and adapt to societal changes to properly position itself to discharge its constitutional role within an ever-changing society.
According to him, the focus of the Chief of Defence Staff’s vision is to have a Nigerian Armed Forces that is completely embraced by society and not one seen as a tool of oppression or repression.
“To me, the ultimate goal of the CDS vision is to lead a force whose presence will inspire confidence and trust from the civil populace once again,” he said.
The Resource Person, Dr. Linus Okoye said that leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate, and drive a group of people towards a particular direction via inspiration, not intimidation or manipulation meaning that leadership is influence.
He stressed that what makes military leadership so powerful is not just about giving orders or following a chain of command, it’s about building trust, making tough decisions, and most importantly, taking care of the people you lead.
He said people-oriented leadership is a style of leadership that focuses on teamwork, inclusion, and innovation. These qualities are critical for solving the complex problems we face today.
He said that people-oriented leaders are more focused on the well-being, development, and involvement of the team.
Meanwhile, the Defence Chief, General Christopher Musa also unveiled three books written by the Assistant Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Department of Defence Transformation and Innovation, Navy Captain Aondowase Mnguve.
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