The Nigerian Army is launching an ambitious plan to overhaul its training and its operational and administrative frameworks. The plan was announced by Lt. Gen. W. Shaibu, chief of Army staff, during his annual conference in Lagos in December 2025. It is meant to improve professionalism, combat readiness and adaptability.
Shaibu said training must be mission-oriented and produce operational effectiveness and battlefield success. The reforms will include a comprehensive review of curricula across all Nigerian Army training institutions.
“You play a critical role in shaping the competence, mindset and resilience of our officers and Soldiers,” Shaibu told attendees at Division Training Officers Training Week in Jos. “Leadership on the battlefield is directly linked to the quality of training you design, supervise and enforce.”
Shaibu said the Army will acquire new hardware and software to modernize training. He also committed to improve troop welfare and pledged to build new Army housing nationwide.
Shaibu said training Special Forces and Army Aviation personnel will be emphasized. The Nation newspaper reported that the moves are to keep up with a security environment that is becoming more complex and requires “enhanced capabilities in intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance, and cyber operations.”
Threats facing Nigeria include terrorism, banditry and intercommunal violence. In December 2025, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu unveiled a new counterterrorism doctrine that classifies all armed groups operating outside of state authority as terrorists, including bandits, militias, armed gangs, and their political or community enablers.
The overhaul is expected to be led by Army Headquarters through the Department of Training. Shaibu called robust training the nation’s “first line of defense.”
“Training must foster inquisitive and adaptable mindsets,” Shaibu said. “Our officers and Soldiers must be prepared to learn, unlearn and relearn in line with changing tactical and operational demands.”