|By Adejumo Adekunle
The Nigerian Army has directed Commanding Officers across its formations to assume greater responsibility for combat readiness, insisting that professionalism and discipline must define leadership at every tactical level.
The directive followed the First Commanding Officers’ Workshop 2026, held on March 3 at the Army War College Nigeria, WU Bassey Barracks, Abuja, where senior officers converged to reassess operational standards and leadership strategies.
In a statement posted on its official platforms, the Army emphasized that unit commanders must drive preparedness through measurable performance and sound judgment.
Representing the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Major General Olusegun Abai told participants that effective command begins at the unit level and must translate into tangible operational outcomes. He stressed that Commanding Officers must take full ownership of combat readiness within their formations, noting that discipline and professionalism remain non-negotiable pillars of military leadership.
The workshop, themed “Enhancing Tactical Level Leadership in a Joint and Multi-Agency Environment,” focused on strengthening coordination among security agencies amid Nigeria’s complex security challenges. The Army chief reiterated his commitment to building a professional, adaptable, and combat-ready force capable of discharging its constitutional responsibilities.
He urged officers to deepen mentorship structures, intensify realistic training exercises, enforce accountability, and safeguard troop welfare as strategic tools for operational success.
Also speaking, the Chief of Training (Army), Major General Valentine Okoro, described the workshop as a deliberate move to reinforce training standards and boost operational effectiveness across formations. He encouraged participants to leverage the platform to strengthen inter-agency collaboration and streamline internal command processes.
In his remarks, the Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, Major General Maxwell Dangana, warned that Nigeria’s evolving security environment demands adaptive and mission-focused tactical leadership. He called on officers to engage rigorously, uphold professional standards, and tighten coordination mechanisms with sister security agencies.
The Army maintained that the workshop forms part of sustained reforms aimed at sharpening tactical leadership and enhancing overall combat readiness nationwide.
