🇳🇬 Army Shifts Doctrine Toward Legitimacy and Soldier Welfare Amid Sustained Deployments

The Nigerian Army is recalibrating its leadership doctrine amid prolonged internal security deployments, as The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, introduced a Soldier-First command framework designed to stabilise morale, reinforce institutional discipline and elevate civil-military legitimacy as a benchmark of operational success.

Desk: Defence & Security 

Date: Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Time: 13:40 WAT

Location: Jaji, Kaduna State

A statement issued by The Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, disclosed that the Command Philosophy, built around the acronym PROSE, was unveiled during a lecture to participants of Senior Course 48 at The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji.

The doctrine comes at a time when the Army remains deployed across counterinsurgency, counterterrorism and nationwide internal security operations. Sustained operational tempo has tested personnel rotation cycles, logistics endurance and force regeneration capacity.

Under the PROSE framework, Professional Excellence, Robust Administration, Operational Readiness, Strategic Cooperation and Exemplary Leadership are positioned as mutually reinforcing pillars anchored on a Soldier-First Culture. The emphasis on administration and welfare signals recognition that combat effectiveness depends on institutional health and leadership accountability.

The Chief of Army Staff stressed that operational success extends beyond battlefield outcomes to include strengthened civil-military relations and adherence to the rule of law. This reframing places legitimacy, public trust and governance compliance alongside tactical proficiency in assessing mission durability.

By unveiling the doctrine at The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, the Army embeds the reform within professional military education structures, signalling intent to cascade the philosophy through operational and strategic leadership tiers.

Nigeria’s security landscape remains fluid, shaped by insurgency in the North East, armed banditry in the North West, communal violence in the North Central and separatist-linked tensions in the South East. Regional instability in the Sahel further compounds cross-border threat mobility.

If institutionalised effectively, the PROSE doctrine may represent a leadership recalibration aimed at balancing warfighting demands with long-term force sustainability, governance alignment and professional credibility.

🏷️Tags: Nigerian Army, Waidi Shaibu, PROSE Doctrine, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Civil-Military Relations, Military Reform, Operational Sustainability

#Nigeria #NigerianArmy #MilitaryDoctrine #CivilMilitaryRelations #DefenceReform #OperationalReadiness