The Nigerian Army has called for the expansion of its aviation wing and an increase in armed drones to strengthen operational response, as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Mr Richard Pheelangwa, pledged sweeping administrative and budgetary support to boost military efficiency.
The push for enhanced operational capacity came on Thursday when Pheelangwa paid a familiarisation visit to the Army Headquarters in Abuja, where he met with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Waidi Shaibu.
This was revealed in a statement by Enderline Chukwu, deputy director of information at the ministry on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Lt-Gen Shaibu stressed the urgent need to expand the army’s aviation capabilities, describing air assets as critical enablers for timely military operations.
He also highlighted the importance of increasing the number of armed drones, ensuring prompt release of capital budget allocations, improving accommodation for newly recruited troops, and deploying permanent teaching staff to defence schools.
According to him, addressing these priority areas would significantly enhance the army’s combat efficiency and overall operational effectiveness.
In his remarks, Pheelangwa said the visit was part of efforts to deepen civil-military collaboration and strengthen institutional engagement between the ministry and the army.
He assured the army leadership of the ministry’s commitment to resolving administrative bottlenecks, improving budgetary performance and execution, ensuring timely service delivery, and promoting transparency in procurement processes.
The permanent secretary further emphasised the ministry’s focus on personnel welfare and human capital development, noting ongoing engagement with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to enhance indigenous defence production capacity.
Both officials reaffirmed their commitment to closer collaboration in advancing Nigeria’s security objectives.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Defence and principal staff officers from Army Headquarters were present at the meeting.
