Nigerian Army Deepens Global Partnerships to Boost National Security — COAS
The Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, has reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships as part of efforts to enhance national security and institutional capacity.
Shaibu made this known on April 29, 2026, while receiving a delegation from King’s College London led by Randolph Charles Kent at Army Headquarters in Abuja.
He described the six-year collaboration as a strategic enabler for building intellectual depth, leadership capacity and operational effectiveness within the Army. According to him, the partnership—facilitated through the Nigerian Army Resource Centre—has expanded access to world-class military education and supports ongoing reforms aimed at developing a professional, adaptive and combat-ready force.
The Army chief stressed that evolving security challenges demand forward-looking approaches rooted in collaboration, innovation and knowledge-sharing. He highlighted the role of NARC as a key policy think tank that drives inter-agency cooperation and generates strategic ideas to address Nigeria’s complex threat environment.
Shaibu also raised concerns over emerging threats linked to the digital information space, noting that information warfare and malign influence operations increasingly pose risks to national stability. He called for deeper academic and institutional engagement to examine these challenges and develop research-driven responses.
In his remarks, Kent commended the Nigerian Army for sustaining the partnership, noting that initiatives such as the Yale–NARC African Leadership Centre programme are built on mutual knowledge exchange and shared expertise. He said such collaborations are essential for navigating global uncertainties and strengthening collective responses to complex security threats.
The renewed commitment signals the Army’s continued emphasis on international cooperation as a pillar of its broader strategy to address Nigeria’s evolving security landscape.
By TimesNG