On Wednesday, 25 February 2026, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, gave a spirited speech to staff and students of the Department of Land Warfare at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, restating his pledge to professional excellence, solid leadership, and the College’s continuous improvement. The talk, delivered in the General Faruk Yahaya Auditorium, followed his earlier lecture to Senior Course 48 participants and served as a morale boost for the next crop of operational and strategic commanders.
Addressing the student officers, Shaibu told them to treat every lesson, drill, and field exercise with iron discipline, reminding them that they will soon hold key commands across the country where their judgment and competence will decide outcomes. He warned that Nigeria’s shifting security threats demand officers who can think fast, adapt faster, and still uphold the highest ethical standards, so he pressed them to stay focused and resilient through every phase of the course.
The COAS also turned to the Directing Staff. According to a release signed by Major Emmanuel Onoja, the College Public Relations Officer, Shaibu asked them to keep mentorship uncompromisingly tough and standards sky-high because whatever leadership stamp they leave on the officers will echo on every battlefield and peacekeeping corridor the graduates enter. He praised their devotion and urged them to keep shaping officers who can deliver results amid chaos and uncertainty.
Brigadier General BO Omopariola, Director of the Department of Land Warfare, thanked the Army Chief for backing a string of upgrades: solar-powered inverters for syndicate rooms and lecture halls, 50 new laptops and 10 printers, a renovated Abacha Hall, and rebuilt offices for directing staff, calling the support both timely and game-changing.
Air Vice Marshal AO Shogbanmu, Commandant of AFCSC, attended the event.
