The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, on Wednesday outlined plans by the Nigerian Army (NA) to invest massively in modern technology and specialized training to tackle terrorism and other emerging security threats in the country.
Gen. Oluyede, who disclosed this in Abuja while declaring the Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference 2024 closed, stated that in addition, the service was making efforts to put in place innovative strategies to defeat terrorism, banditry, secessionist agitations, and violent extremism in the country.
He also pledged to strengthen the efforts of his predecessors in drastically reducing the accommodation deficits in the Nigerian Army.
According to him, “I am delighted to state that the past three days have been refreshing and rewarding because we have reflected as a family on issues concerning the administration, training, and operations of the Nigerian Army.
“In particular, we deliberated extensively on innovative strategies to confront and ultimately defeat terrorism, banditry, secessionist agitations, and other violent extremists that threaten the peace and security of our dear country, Nigeria.
“As a follow-up to our deliberations, the Nigerian Army will, in the coming months, invest more in modern technology to aid its training and ultimately fight its wars.”
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The COAS also assured that the Army, under his leadership, would promote realistic and focused training throughout the force and conduct a thorough review of the Army’s specialized training and operations to achieve the desired victory, since training directly influences operational outcomes.
According to him, “To this end, I have directed that our best be posted to our training schools to drive our professional and military education and produce well-trained personnel with the requisite skill set to meet the demands of current and future operations.
“In general, the Nigerian Army looks forward to doing things differently in our kinetic and non-kinetic operations in the coming year.
“To strengthen our professionalism and combat readiness, pillars of my command philosophy, we just winged 22 qualified officers and soldiers a moment ago as pilots and certified maintenance engineers.”
He added that their winging is a morale booster and confirms their certification to fly and maintain the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones in their inventory.
