By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
The message from the nation’s political command centre was unambiguous: Nigeria’s Army will not fight alone.
At the opening of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference 2025 in Lagos, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu renewed his administration’s strategic backing for the Nigerian Army, signalling continuity in funding, reform and operational support at a moment when security pressures remain both complex and unrelenting.
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President reaffirmed what he described as an “unwavering commitment” to the welfare of soldiers, the professionalism of the officer corps and the operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces.
For a military institution stretched across counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and internal security roles, the reassurance carried both political and operational weight.
The Lagos gathering drew a rare convergence of Nigeria’s military past and present serving commanders alongside retired Service Chiefs whose decisions shaped decades of doctrine, deployment and defence culture. President Tinubu paid tribute to these elder statesmen, describing their presence as living proof of the Army’s institutional memory and fighting heritage.
He praised officers and soldiers who, in his words, “place national duty above personal comfort,” noting that their sacrifices in defence of Nigeria’s sovereignty would remain permanently inscribed in the nation’s history.
The annual conference, he said, was more than ceremony, it was a strategic checkpoint for hard self-assessment and course correction.
With global security dynamics shifting and domestic threats mutating, Tinubu noted that the conference provides a crucial forum for evaluating training systems, administrative structures and operational doctrines.
The Nigerian Army, he stressed, must continuously adapt to stay ahead of asymmetric warfare, transnational crime and internal instability.
That call for adaptation set the tone for deliberations expected to shape the Army’s direction in the year ahead.
The Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, sharpened the message.
He described the conference as a strategic engine room for assessing readiness and recalibrating operational posture in line with national security priorities.
While commending the resilience of Army personnel, Musa warned that outcomes must not remain theoretical.
He urged senior commanders to convert conference resolutions into “concrete operational actions” and measurable battlefield results.
His emphasis on joint operations, inter-agency coordination and a whole-of-society approach reflected the evolving doctrine guiding Nigeria’s security response one that recognises that military force alone cannot resolve complex internal conflicts.
In his welcome address, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, struck a tone of gratitude and resolve.
He thanked President Tinubu for sustained political will, pointing to visible gains in troop welfare, equipment modernisation, training and institutional reform.
He also acknowledged the role of the National Assembly, noting that legislative and budgetary support has materially improved the Army’s operational readiness across all theatres.
The Nigerian Army, Shaibu said, is deliberately transitioning into a more professional, adaptive and technology-driven force, capable of meeting both conventional threats and the fluid realities of asymmetric warfare.
Patriotism and professionalism, he told participants, must anchor every discussion and decision.
Host Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu framed security as the foundation upon which development rests.
He praised the Nigerian Army’s role in preserving national unity and democratic governance, singling out 81 Division for its contributions to peace and stability in Lagos State.
The Lagos State Government, he assured, will continue to support the Army’s mission, an endorsement that underscores the growing nexus between subnational governance and national security.
The opening ceremony brought together senior government officials, Service Chiefs, retired defence leaders, heads of security agencies and diplomats, an audience reflecting the weight of expectations resting on the conference.
As deliberations begin, the COAS Annual Conference 2025 is set to interrogate operational realities, administrative reforms and strategic choices that will define how the Nigerian Army prosecutes its constitutional mandate in an era of persistent security strain.
In Lagos, the signals were clear: political authority has restated its support, military leadership has outlined its ambitions, and the burden now shifts to execution where strategy meets terrain.
