The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Nigerian Army Medal, has charged the Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) to intensify cadet training driven by purposeful leadership, discipline, character, courage and strategic thinking in order to bridge gaps in Military operations.

The COAS gave the charge during a courtesy visit by the Commandant, NDA, Major General Oluyemi Olatoye, to Army Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday, 26 November 2025.

Lieutenant General Shaibu stressed the need to strengthen research centres, particularly the NDA Department of Military Science, as a strategic step towards boosting the National Defence Industry and enhancing indigenous capacity for military innovation and self-reliance.

He underscored that a robust research framework would provide the intellectual backbone required for a modern, responsive and technologically advanced fighting force.

The COAS further advocated for a curriculum overhaul that reflects contemporary security challenges, with emphasis on night training, physical fitness, artificial intelligence and other emerging warfare domains.

According to him, these measures would ensure that young officers are fully attuned to the realities of modern battlefields and equipped with the warrior ethos and battle-oriented leadership skills required to drive his Command Philosophy which is

*“To Advance the Transformation of the Nigerian Army into a More Professional, Adaptable, Combat Ready and Resilient Force Capable of Decisively Discharging its Constitutional Responsibilities Within a Joint and Multi-Agency Environment.”

* He also pledged his full support to the Commandant in achieving these objectives, reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the Nigerian Defence Academy produces officers who are strategically sound, operationally competent and fully prepared to meet the evolving security demands of the nation.

In his remarks, the Commandant, Major General Oluyemi Olatoye congratulated the COAS on his appointment by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

He further expressed profound gratitude to the leadership of the military for the confidence reposed in him to lead the nation’s premier military training institution, describing the NDA as the “training factory” for future officers of the Armed Forces.

The Commandant assured that he would build on the legacies and structures established by his predecessors while soliciting sustained support from the COAS to effectively realise the vision and mission of producing competent, disciplined and professional officers capable of safeguarding Nigeria’s security interests.