The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen Waidi Shaibu, on Friday reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to advancing local technological capacity and strengthening strategic partnerships to boost national security and personnel development.
This was contained in a statement made available to Defence Correspondents in Abuja by the Spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Col Appolonia Anele.
According to the statement, the Army Chief stated this while speaking during a courtesy visit to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) headquarters in Abuja.
It explained that Gen Shaibu highlighted the urgent need to build local expertise in unmanned aerial systems and drone technology to tackle terrorism, insurgency and banditry.
It added that the COAS lauded the PTDF’s long-standing role in human capacity development and formally requested specialised training for army personnel to create a strong pool of skilled professionals.
According to the Army Chief, “this will help us establish indigenous companies for the development of unmanned aerial systems and reduce reliance on foreign military training,”
The COAS also acknowledged the Fund’s continued support for Command Secondary Schools.
The statement further added that, in his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Professor Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, commended the sacrifices of the Nigerian Army in safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity.
He outlined ongoing collaborations under the PTDF In-Country Scholarship Scheme at the Nigerian Defence Academy and pledged to establish a modern ICT centre for digital skills training at the proposed Command Science Secondary School in Kaduna.
It added that Professor Aliyu also called for the Army’s support in protecting PTDF’s strategic national assets and regional centres of excellence in Kaduna and Afam, and advocated for a formal security framework between both institutions to ensure rapid emergency response and safeguard staff, students and infrastructure.