By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Nigeria’s top soldier has delivered a blunt message to the engine room of the Army’s fighting strength: train exactly the way you intend to fight or risk losing on the battlefield.
At a time when the Nigerian Army is contending with fast-evolving security threats, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has placed renewed emphasis on training realism, leadership development and troop welfare as non-negotiable pillars of operational success.
Speaking on Tuesday at the opening of the Division Training Officers Training Week in Jos, the Army Chief challenged Divisional Training Officers (DTOs) to abandon routine drills and instead embrace sound, progressive and battlefield-relevant training models that reflect the realities soldiers face in combat.
The week-long workshop, organised by the Army Headquarters Department of Training and hosted at the 3 Division Auditorium, Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, is themed “Enhancing Operational Readiness: Adaptive Training Strategies for Evolving Threats.”
It brings together training commanders from across divisions to reassess doctrine, exchange lessons learned and recalibrate training plans for the year ahead.
For Shaibu, the stakes could not be higher.
“Realistic training directly influences operational outcomes,” he told participants.
“Our training systems must encourage inquisitive minds—officers and soldiers who can learn, unlearn and relearn as threats evolve.”
He reminded the officers that their influence extends far beyond parade grounds and classrooms.
As architects of the Army’s training culture, DTOs, he said, shape the competence, mindset and resilience of those who ultimately carry the fight to the enemy.
“An army is only as good as its leaders, and leaders are only as good as their training,” the COAS declared.
“That truth places a profound responsibility on you. The quality of leadership on the battlefield is directly linked to the quality of training you design, supervise and enforce.”
Beyond tactics and doctrine, the Army Chief zeroed in on morale and welfare often the unseen determinants of combat effectiveness.
He warned that no training programme, however well designed, can succeed without motivated and well-cared-for personnel.
DTOs, he said, must continue to prioritise the welfare of trainees while fostering healthy competition by recognising and rewarding excellence during training.
Shaibu also commended divisional training commands for strengthening post-depot training, singling out initiatives such as Exercise Shining Star, which he said are vital in building confidence, discipline and combat readiness among young soldiers.
Earlier, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander of Operation Enduring Peace, Major General Folusho Oyinlola, welcomed participants to Jos, describing the training week as a critical intervention at a pivotal moment for the Army.
He urged officers to approach the programme with professionalism and introspection, using it as a platform to deepen their understanding of adaptive training strategies, share practical experiences and refine their instructional and supervisory skills.
“This is an opportunity to engage, challenge assumptions and internalise new insights,” Oyinlola said, encouraging robust participation in lectures, discussions and interactive sessions.
Also speaking, the Convener of the workshop and Chief of Training (Army), Major General Valentine Okoro, thanked the COAS for consistently elevating training as the cornerstone of military professionalism.
He advised DTOs to ensure that all divisional training activities remain realistic, mission-oriented and firmly aligned with the operational environment soldiers are deployed into warning against theoretical drills disconnected from battlefield realities.
The opening ceremony concluded with the presentation of a souvenir to the Chief of Army Staff and a group of photograph formalities that underscored a serious agenda.
As the training week unfolds, the message from Army Headquarters is unmistakable: in an era of complex, adaptive threats, victory will belong not to the best-equipped force alone, but to the best-trained.
