Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has appointed four General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for the newly established Army divisions.The appointments followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the new formations to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity across the country. Tinubu had less than a week ago approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the recruitment of 28,000 new personnel.
The new divisions are: 5 Division Headquarters, Makurdi, to oversee Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states; 9 Division Headquarters, Ilorin, for Kwara and Niger states; 10 Division Headquarters, Jalingo, for Taraba and Adamawa states; and 83 Division Headquarters, Benin, to oversee Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states.With the development, 1 Division, Kaduna, will now oversee Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, while 2 Division, Ibadan, will be responsible for Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states.
The 3 Division in Jos will cover Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states and the 6 Division, Port Harcourt, will oversee Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. Also, the 7 Division, Maiduguri, will continue to cover Borno and Yobe states, while 8 Division, Sokoto, will retain responsibility for Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states. The appointments and changes were contained in a statement yesterday by the Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele.
Under the new deployment, Maj.- Gen.l Yakubu Yahaya moves from Headquarters, Joint Task Force (Northcentral), Operation SAVANNA SHIELD (OPSS), to Headquarters 9 Division, Ilorin as GOC and Commander of Operation SAVANNA SHIELD. Maj.- Gen. Chinedu Nnebeife was redeployed from Headquarters 2 Division/Sector 3, Joint Task Force (Northwest), Operation FANSAN YAMMA, to Headquarters 10 Division, Jalingo, as the GOC. Similarly, Maj- Gen. Moses Gara was redeployed from Headquarters Joint Task Force, Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS), to Headquarters 5 Division, Makurdi. He will serve as GOC and Commander of Operation WHIRL STROKE.Also, Maj .-Gen. Auwalu Mahmuda moves from the Army Headquarters Directorate of Inspection and Compliance to Headquarters, 2 Division, Ibadan, as GOC..
The Army spokesperson said the COAS congratulated the new GOCs and charged them to provide visionary leadership, sustain operational momentum and uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and mission effectiveness. She added that Lt.-Gen. Shaibu reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, protecting the lives and property of law-abiding citizens, and supporting the attainment of lasting peace and security across the country.
Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, welcomed the expansion of the Army divisions, saying it would improve the country’s security architecture. But Gen. Irabor warned that expanding the Army without adequately addressing existing deficiencies could undermine the objective of the initiative. He, therefore, charged the Federal Government to invest massively in personnel, equipment, logistics and infrastructure to deliver the desired results.
“The expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight divisions to 12 divisions is the right step in the right direction,” the former CDS told a national television yesterday. Gen. Irabor noted that the President’s recognition of the military’s operational challenges was encouraging, saying effective leadership begins with a clear understanding of institutional shortcomings.
