By Nkechi Eze
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has emphasized the need for an enhanced career planning system to optimize human resources utilization within the Nigerian Army (NA). He made this known on Tuesday 18 March 2025 during the 6th edition of Army Headquarters (AHQ) Department of Military Secretary (MS) Career Planning and Management seminar held at the Armed Forces Officers’ Mess, Abuja.
A statement signed by the Director Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu disclosed that the COAS acknowledged the Department of Military Secretary’s efforts to keep pace with modern trends in human resources management.
He also charged the department to leverage cutting-edge technology and develop an electronic performance evaluation report for 2025 in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Army’s personnel management.
Speaking on the seminar themed, ”Efficient Career Planning for Nigerian Army Officers: Imperative for a Well-Motivated and Combat Ready Force Within a Joint and Multi-Agency environment”, the COAS noted that a well-structured career planning system is crucial for the development and utilization of the army’s human resources.
General Oluyede represented by the Chief of Special Services and Programmes (Army), Major General Jamal Abdulsalam stressed the need for efficient career planning and management of personnel to derive maximum benefits from their leadership potentials and capacity.
He noted that the seminar presents an opportunity for meaningful discourse and sharing insights on enhancing continuous learning and growth.
The Army Chief maintained that the NA must continually seek improvements in its approach to career planning and management. He enjoined the participants to be professional and subordinate to duly constituted authority.
The COAS pointed out that the security and unity of Nigeria remain sacrosanct and the loyalty of the Nigerian Army to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, must never be in doubt. He reiterated that the NA remains resolutely committed to the discharge of its constitutional obligations and tasked the Department of Military Secretary to be resolute in ensuring that officers remain professional in the discharge of their duties.
Earlier in his remarks, the Military Secretary (Army), Major General Everest Okoro stated that the seminar is an annual event organized by the Department to support its critical role in planning and managing NA officers’ careers as well as update them on extant policies and provisions that may impact their careers.
The Military Secretary acknowledged the importance of strategic career planning and management in shaping the future of the NA, noting that this year’s seminar seeks to consolidate on the successes so far recorded.
Delivering the lead lecture titled “Military Human Resource Management in a Joint and Multi-Agency Environment: The NA in Perspective” the Key note speaker, former Military Secretary, Major General SU Abdul-Kadir (rtd) described military resource management in a joint and multi-agency environment as complex and requires careful coordination and integration of resources across various units and agencies.
He averred that the approach is essential to ensure effective and efficient outcomes, especially in operations involving multiple stakeholders such as the military, police, sister agencies, and other governmental bodies.
Present at the seminar were erudite resource persons, Major General SU Abdul-Kadir (rtd), Major General HPZ Vintenaba (rtd), Deputy Director General, Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Center, Major General PE Eromosele, Principal Staff Officers from Defence and Services Headquarters, former Military Secretaries among others.
