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Declares 2025 development workshop open in Minna
From John Adams, Minna
The Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) of the Nigerian Army, Major General Kelvin Aligbe, has said that the inability of the Nigerian Army to produce its equipment locally remains one of the greatest challenges facing the institution after 65 years of its establishment.
The TRADOC Commander stated this on Tuesday when he delivered a keynote address titled “The Soldier First in Focus” at the 2025 Nigerian Army Doctrine Development Workshop at the TRADOC headquarters in Minna, Niger State.
Major General Aligbe described the Nigerian Army as one of the most trained militaries in Africa but regretted that the Nigerian Army is yet to be able to manufacture its equipment, and this has greatly affected its operational capacity.
He pointed out that despite the training and the capacity of the Nigerian Army in a combat situation, the need to locally manufacture its equipment remains very crucial to its operational success, adding that “until we embrace home-grown equipment, the Nigerian Army will continue to face challenges in combating insurgency and banditry.”
Speaking on the workshop, with the theme “Enhancing Doctrine Development for Effective Training and Operations within a Joint Environment,” Major General Aligbe said the Nigerian Army cannot function effectively without applying its Doctrine, stressing that “Military Doctrine is the Military constitution.”
According to him, the Nigerian Army must adhere strictly to its Doctrine in order to be able to perform its constitutional responsibility to the country, adding that the workshop is therefore an opportunity to gather and remind each other of the importance of the Doctrine.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief of Doctrine and Combat Development, TRADOC headquarters, Major General Jamiu Jimoh, said that Doctrine is essential to the Nigerian Army because, according to him, “it provides a unified framework for how Military forces operate, ensuring unity of effort and facilitating effective training and operations.”
Major General Jimoh, who was represented by Major General Mohammed Babayo, Director Lessons Learnt, TRADOC headquarters, pointed further that Doctrine plays a crucial role in ensuring that different units can seamlessly work together in a joint environment.
This, according to him, is in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s command philosophy, which is “to consolidate the transformation of the Nigerian Army towards bequeathing a well-motivated and combat-ready force that can effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities within a joint and multi-agency environment.”
He maintained that Doctrine acts as a compass guiding the Military towards its objectives while providing a framework for decision-making and ensuring that all members are on the same page.
The four-day workshop had in attendance military officers drawn from across all the military formations in the country.
