The Nigerian Army is intensifying efforts to rebuild tactical and operational leadership capacity among junior and mid cadre personnel as evolving non-state threats continue to alter the country’s security landscape.
Desk: Defence & Strategy
Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Time: 22:16 WAT
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Author: Nokai Origin
That strategic direction emerged on Tuesday at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, where the Director General of the Centre, Retired Major General James Myam, formally inaugurated the Leadership Skills Development Course 15 of 2026 for officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army.
The course, hosted inside Hall B of the Tukur Yusuf Buratai Block of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, is designed for personnel from the rank of lieutenant colonel and below, with emphasis on preparing tactical leaders capable of operating effectively in increasingly adaptive threat environments.
Nigerian Army Shifts Focus Toward Adaptive Leadership Warfare
Addressing participants, Retired Major General James Myam stated that contemporary operational, administrative and logistics challenges now require creative and adaptive leadership approaches, particularly among junior and middle cadre personnel operating in volatile environments.
According to him, traditional command structures alone are no longer sufficient against rapidly evolving non state actors whose operational patterns continue to shift across multiple theatres.
He explained that the Nigerian Army has continued to expand specialized leadership development programmes beyond conventional service school training in order to prepare personnel for increasingly dynamic operational realities.
“The knowledge of critical thinking, emotional intelligence and mentorship becomes very critical in preparing junior and mid cadre officers as tactical or acting operational level commanders,” he stated.
The Director General noted that the modular programme was specifically designed to equip personnel with practical leadership essentials capable of improving operational outcomes across formations and units.
Leadership Beyond Firepower
Unlike conventional military training focused primarily on kinetic operations, the course introduces broader leadership competencies increasingly viewed as decisive in modern warfare environments.
Participants are expected to undergo sessions on critical thinking, emotional intelligence, coaching and mentoring, teamwork, communication, decision making, leadership roles in crisis and war, as well as interagency collaboration and cooperation.
Retired Major General James Myam told participants that modern military leadership now requires intellectual agility alongside battlefield competence.
He urged officers and soldiers attending the programme to engage fully with facilitators and resource persons, stressing that the Nigerian Army expects measurable operational impact when participants return to the field.
“We expect a positive impact when you return to your units and formations in the field,” he said.
Why the Military Is Recalibrating
In a post inauguration interview, the Director General linked the course directly to Nigeria’s changing threat environment.
According to Retired Major General James Myam, studies conducted at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre indicate that armed non state actors confronting the country’s security forces are continuously adapting their methods, strategies and operational patterns.
“Our studies have revealed that some of the key non state actors facing us in the threat environment keep adapting and changing their strategies,” he stated.
“Likewise, we have to keep adapting and changing our strategies in order to defeat them.”
The remarks reflect a growing recognition within Nigerian military circles that the future battlespace may increasingly reward flexibility, decentralized decision making and psychological preparedness as much as conventional force projection.
Strategic Leadership Pipeline Under Review
The programme also highlights a broader institutional attempt to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s internal leadership pipeline at tactical and operational levels.
Retired Major General James Myam disclosed that the course forms part of wider special training programmes being conducted by the Nigerian Army to complement leadership activities already existing across service schools.
He commended the Course Coordinator, Director of the Leadership Development Institute, facilitators and resource persons for developing what he described as a practical and impactful training package.
The Director General also acknowledged the support of the Chief of Army Staff and Chairman Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Lieutenant General W. Shaibu, for supporting the programme and providing funding for its execution.
Strategic Signal
As insurgent groups, armed bandits and other irregular actors continue adapting across Nigeria’s security theatres, the Nigerian Army appears to be shifting greater institutional attention toward leadership psychology, adaptive command culture and tactical decision superiority.
The emergence of leadership focused programmes centred on emotional intelligence, critical thinking and interagency coordination suggests the military increasingly sees modern conflict not only as a contest of weapons, but as a contest of adaptation.
🏷️ Tags: Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Retired Major General James Myam, Leadership Development, Nigerian Army, Security Strategy, Tactical Leadership, Abuja, Military Training, Defence Strategy
#NigerianArmy #NARC #LeadershipDevelopment #SecurityStrategy #MilitaryLeadership #DefenceUpdate #Abuja #ZigDiaries
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