Nigerian Army Trains Strategic Leaders To Tackle Terrorism, Cyber Threats

The Nigerian Army has reaffirmed its commitment to building a corps of intellectually grounded and strategically minded officers capable of addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges with innovative solutions.

The commitment was highlighted during the graduation ceremony of the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course (LSSC) 4/2025, held on Friday at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) in Abuja.

Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NARC, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, congratulated the graduands for successfully completing 11 months of intensive intellectual and professional training.

According to a statement issued by the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the COAS urged the officers to view the graduation not merely as another qualification but as a call to greater responsibility, purposeful leadership and enhanced professional performance.

General Shaibu noted that emerging security threats, including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, cyber threats, information warfare and transnational organised crime, require officers who can think beyond immediate tactical challenges and develop innovative approaches that combine kinetic and non-kinetic strategies.

He cautioned the graduands against intellectual complacency, urging them to continually challenge assumptions and expand their professional knowledge to remain effective in addressing complex security issues.

The Army Chief also said the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s force structure from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the creation of new formations and units, has increased the need for officers with strong strategic thinking, sound staff skills and effective leadership.

He charged the officers to become agents of positive institutional change by applying their newly acquired knowledge to improve planning, decision-making and operational effectiveness, adding that the goal aligns with his command philosophy of transforming the Nigerian Army into a professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient force.

Earlier, the Director General of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Major General James Gwaza Khalifa Myam, explained that the course, organised in partnership with the Nigerian Defence Academy’s Postgraduate School, equips senior Direct Regular Commission officers with advanced academic and professional training in leadership, strategy, national security and national development.

He disclosed that successful participants received a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Strategic Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy as well as a Fellowship in Leadership and Strategic Studies from the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, urging them to justify the investment by providing innovative, knowledge-driven solutions to operational and institutional challenges.