The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to developing local technological capacity and strengthening strategic partnerships to enhance national security and personnel development.
Shaibu stated this on Friday, September 18, 2026, during a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, in Abuja.
The Army chief highlighted the need to build local expertise in unmanned aerial systems and drone technology to strengthen efforts against terrorism, insurgency and banditry.
He commended the PTDF for its longstanding contribution to human capacity development and formally requested specialised training for Army personnel in emerging technologies.
“This will help us establish indigenous companies for the development of unmanned aerial systems and reduce reliance on foreign military training,” Shaibu said.
He also acknowledged the continued support of the PTDF for the Nigerian Army’s Command Secondary Schools.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Prof. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, commended the Nigerian Army for its sacrifices in protecting the nation’s territorial integrity.
Aliyu highlighted ongoing collaboration between the two institutions under the PTDF In-Country Scholarship Scheme at the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He also pledged that the Fund would establish a modern Information and Communications Technology centre for digital skills training at the proposed Command Science Secondary School in Kaduna.
The PTDF executive secretary further called for greater protection of the Fund’s strategic national assets and regional centres of excellence located in Kaduna and Afam.
He advocated the establishment of a formal security framework between the Army and PTDF to facilitate rapid emergency response and protect staff, students and critical infrastructure.
The engagement underscored the commitment of both institutions to strengthening collaboration in technology, human capital development and the protection of strategic national assets.
