🇳🇬 Chief of Army Staff Connects Nigerian Army Expansion To Security, Entrepreneurship And Creative Economy Growth

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu has stated that the Nigerian Army’s ongoing expansion is set to broaden its operational footprint, strengthen its presence in vulnerable areas and improve responsiveness to emerging security threats. 

Desk: Defence & Security
Date: 15 September 2026
Time: 15:17 WAT
Location: Kuru, Plateau State

The COAS further stated that the establishment of additional formations and units is intended to extend the Army’s reach across the country and strengthen its ability to protect communities, critical infrastructure and economic activity from threats that can undermine development.

Lieutenant General Shaibu made the remarks while delivering a lecture titled, “Safeguarding the Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: The Role of the Nigerian Army,” to participants of Senior Executive Course 48, 2026, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Plateau State.

He linked the Army’s expanding security footprint to the broader need for an environment in which entrepreneurship, investment and creative enterprise can develop without persistent disruption from insecurity.

The COAS noted that the Orange Economy, encompassing areas such as arts, culture, music, film and digital content, has significant potential to generate employment, attract investment, strengthen cultural diplomacy and contribute to national development.

Within this framework, he identified insecurity as a direct constraint on economic activity because threats to communities and mobility can disrupt investment, productivity and the ability of entrepreneurs and creative professionals to operate effectively.

The expansion of the Nigerian Army therefore represents more than an increase in organisational size. By widening its operational presence and improving responsiveness, the service is seeking to strengthen the security conditions required for legitimate economic activity to thrive.

Lieutenant General Shaibu also emphasised that the Army’s contribution to national development extends beyond responding to conventional security threats. A stable environment, he noted, provides businesses, entrepreneurs and creative professionals with greater confidence to operate, invest and expand.

He further stressed the importance of stronger collaboration among security agencies, government institutions, the private sector and stakeholders in the creative economy, recognising that safeguarding economic activity requires coordinated action beyond the military alone.

The COAS’s position places the Army’s ongoing expansion within a wider national security and development framework, where stronger operational reach is expected to support not only territorial and community security but also the economic conditions necessary for entrepreneurship and the growth of Nigeria’s creative industries.

🏷️ Tags: Zig Press Release Zig, Diaries Defence, Nigerian Army, Waidi Shaibu, Orange Economy, Economic Security, NIPSS

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