Secrets Reporters
As Nigeria continues to battle kidnappings, banditry, insurgency and violent attacks across several states, the Nigerian Army has shifted part of its public engagement toward community development, unveiling schools, town halls, boreholes and other infrastructure under its Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) programme.
The Army says it has now completed more than 250 intervention projects nationwide, including schools, hospitals, roads, ICT centres, solar-powered facilities and water projects. The announcement came during the 163rd Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL 2026) in Rivers State, where Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, commissioned four new projects across the state’s three senatorial districts.
According to SecretsReporters‘ analysis, the Army’s expanding role in providing public infrastructure reflects a significant evolution in its relationship with civilians. While such interventions may improve public goodwill, they also expose a difficult reality: many communities are celebrating projects that ordinarily fall within the constitutional responsibilities of local, state and federal government institutions.
SecretsReporters further observes that although schools, boreholes and community halls can improve the lives of residents, they cannot replace the primary expectation Nigerians have of the military protecting lives, securing communities and restoring confidence in areas where criminal violence has become routine. Across many parts of the country, citizens continue to measure security agencies not by the number of projects commissioned but by whether they can travel safely, farm without fear and sleep without the threat of attacks.
The four projects commissioned in Rivers include the renovation of Community Secondary School, Obio/Akpor, Community Secondary School in Lueku, Khana Local Government Area, the reconstruction of a Community Town Hall in Oyigbo Local Government Area and the installation of a solar-powered borehole in Degema Local Government Area.
Speaking during the commissioning, Lieutenant General Shaibu said the projects demonstrate the Army’s commitment to complementing military operations with initiatives that directly improve the lives of citizens. He argued that lasting national security cannot be achieved through military action alone and described the Army’s Civil-Military Cooperation programme as a strategic platform for building confidence between soldiers and host communities.
The Army Chief disclosed that more than 250 intervention projects have now been completed across Nigeria, covering hospitals, classroom blocks, roads, ICT centers, solar lighting systems and water supply facilities. He urged benefiting communities to protect the projects and acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the Army’s operational activities.
Earlier, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Major General Musa Etsu-Ndagi, said the Rivers projects were deliberately distributed across the state’s three senatorial districts to ensure wider community impact.
Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Honourable Gift Worlu, welcomed the intervention, describing the renovated schools as a boost to education within the council.
For SecretsReporters, however, the larger issue extends beyond the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The growing visibility of military-led community projects raises broader questions about governance, institutional boundaries and public accountability. While civil-military cooperation is recognized globally as a tool for strengthening trust between armed forces and civilians, it is not designed to substitute for effective governance or diminish the military’s constitutional responsibility to defend the country.
The latest intervention also comes at a time when security remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing national concerns. In several parts of the country, communities continue to experience attacks by armed groups, while thousands of citizens have been displaced and economic activities disrupted by persistent insecurity.