The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has revealed that the Nigerian Army under him has significantly scaled up manpower in order to battle insecurity.
General Shaibu offered this explanation when he spoke with media executives in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
He said this came with the directive and support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).
He said: “We have significantly scaled up our manpower generation efforts in line with the directive of the Commander-in-Chief.
“This has involved sustained recruitment drives and a deliberate expansion of our training capacity through the establishment of additional Depot Nigerian Army facilities across the country.
“The Nigerian Army successfully passed out the first set of recruits trained at the newly established Depot Nigerian Army, Osogbo.
“In the same vein, another set of recruits trained at the newly-established depot in Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State is set to pass out shortly.
“These are in addition to the large number of personnel already trained at the pioneer Depot Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State.
“The simultaneous training of recruits across these three key institutions, strategically located to cover major regions of the country, has significantly enhanced our capacity to generate the manpower required to confront evolving security challenges decisively.
“Beyond increasing numbers, the Nigerian Army remains firmly committed to quality.
“We have prioritised modern, mission-oriented training tailored to the realities of contemporary warfare.
“This approach ensures that our recruits are not only numerically sufficient but also professionally equipped, disciplined and combat-ready.
“As a result, the Army has maintained a steady pipeline of well-trained personnel capable of sustaining ongoing operations across various theatres nationwide.”
Shaibu thanked President Tinubu for “his unwavering support, particularly in accelerating infrastructural development in the newly established Depot Nigerian Army, Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State”.
He said the support has been instrumental in strengthening the training architecture and overall operational readiness.
