Commander, Infantry Corp of the Nigerian Army, Gen. Olufeme Oluyede, has said that technological revolution has further compounded the predicaments of junior leadership in the Nigerian Army.
Oluyede stated this, yesterday, while speaking as Guest of Honour at a week-long Leadership Training Week 2024 organised by the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre (NAHFC) held at Jaji military cantonment, Kaduna.
He explained that the revolution, spearheaded by the birth of the internet, integration of global systems and liberalisation of information amongst others, contributed to the predicament of junior leadership in the service.
The theme of the seminar is, “Effective Command and Leadership: Imperatives of Success in Future Battlespace in Joint Environments”
Oluyede said that non-state actors have increasingly deployed unconventional means in executing their agenda and challenging state authority, adding that the contemporary battlespace had become more complex,primarily because of the increased importance of the cognitive domain, “which is a direct result of the information age.”
He said the seminar was designed to equip junior commanders with skills and mindset required to better prepare and position them for effective leadership in the contemporary operating environment.
The commander noted that the Nigerian Army involvement in internal security operations posed significant challenges to junior leadership, “thus, pushing the Armed Forces of Nigeria into unfamiliar situation that requires novel skills and approaches.
“These among other situations, demanded junior leadership to be circumspect, adaptive and responsive.”
This, he said, was in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s command and philosophy “which is to transform the NA into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force constitutional towards achieving responsibilities within a joint environment.”
Earlier, the Director General of the NAHFC, Maj.-Gen. Obinna Ajunwa, said the lecture would familiarise the Nigerian military junior leaders/commanders to the contemporary security environment and their roles in mitigating them.
He said that would also prepare them for future security challenges.
Ajunwa explained that the NAHFC was conceptualised and established by the former COAS as part of efforts to address observed lapses at the tactical and operational level capabilities of the Nigerian Army.
He said the Nigeria Army has a very rich heritage and history which spanned through the Nigerian civil war and participated in several operations within and outside the country as part of UN peacekeeping missions in Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, among others.
He equally said global trends and practices also necessitated the need to establish a future casting centre for the Nigeria Army with the aim of proposing strategies for continuous modernisation to adequately prepare Army to win future battles and wars.
He said the centre was expected to act as loyal opposition to the Nigerian Army by constantly pointing out inconsistencies and flaws within the system and develop partnerships with sister services, universities and MDAs on security matters, amongst others.