The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has issued a stern warning to Nigerian Army personnel regarding the misuse of social media and other digital platforms. He emphasized that unregulated online engagements could compromise operational security, undermine institutional integrity, and negatively affect ongoing military operations.
Warning at Regimental Sergeant Majors' Convention
Shaibu delivered this warning on Thursday during the closing ceremony of the first Regimental Sergeant Majors’ (RSMs) Convention 2026, held in Kaduna. He urged the RSMs to lead by example by enforcing responsible digital conduct, strengthening information discipline, and ensuring strict compliance with established communication protocols within their units and formations.
Call for Enhanced Mentorship
The COAS also charged senior non-commissioned officers to intensify mentorship and leadership guidance for younger soldiers. This is intended to preserve regimental values, strengthen professionalism, and promote ethical conduct at all levels of command responsibility. According to him, effective mentorship remains critical to developing a highly motivated, combat-ready, and professionally grounded force.
Warrior Ethos and Operational Effectiveness
Shaibu further charged the RSMs to deepen and reinforce the warrior ethos as a strategic imperative for sustaining combat power, enhancing operational effectiveness, and ensuring mission success across all formations and units of the Nigerian Army. He underscored the strategic importance of RSMs as custodians of discipline, regimentation, and military tradition.
“Your leadership influence remains vital in sustaining troop morale, operational cohesion and esprit de corps, particularly among personnel deployed across various theatres of operations,” he said. He added that cultivating a strong warrior ethos remains central to building resilient, disciplined, and mission-oriented forces capable of effectively confronting emerging and asymmetric security threats.
Theme of the Convention
Shaibu noted that the convention's theme, “Empowering Regimental Sergeant Majors to Drive Combat Readiness and Professional Excellence,” provided a critical platform for professional engagement, exchange of operational experiences, and strategic discourse focused on strengthening leadership capacity, mentorship culture, and regimental standards in support of the transformation drive of the Nigerian Army.
Commitment to Administrative Efficiency
Earlier, the Chief of Administration (Army), Major General Isa Abdullahi, stated that the convention reflects the unwavering commitment of the Nigerian Army to enhancing administrative efficiency, professional excellence, and sustained operational readiness. Abdullahi urged participants to effectively translate the knowledge, experiences, and strategic insights gained during the convention into improved troop welfare, discipline, regimentation, and operational efficiency within their respective formations and units.
