July 26, (THEWILL) — President Bola Tinubu’s approved expansion of the Nigerian Army divisional structure from eight to 12 formations and the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel has continued to generate reactions from stakeholders. They hail the restructuring as bold and imaginative in enhancing the military’s operational capabilities, but call for the required financial and administrative back-up to make the desired impact on the country’s security architecture.
Arguing that the planned expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions will enhance national security, a former Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Sani Usman (retd.), at the weekend said that this is only if it is backed by adequate funding, equipment and wider security sector reforms.
Usman, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, described the decision as timely and long overdue, adding that Nigeria’s growing population, vast territory and evolving security threats justified the increase in the army’s order of battle. According to him, the army has already expanded its training institutions in recent years, making it necessary to create additional operational formations to absorb newly trained personnel. He, however, warned that establishing new divisional headquarters alone would not solve the country’s security challenges.
Usman said the expansion must be complemented with barracks, accommodation, weapons, armoured vehicles, artillery, communication equipment, transport assets and robust logistics support. He added that the recruitment and training of about 28,000 additional personnel would also require significant investment in manpower development and welfare. “The expansion is a welcome development, but funding will determine its success. It must be supported with adequate resources to achieve the desired objectives,” he said.
The former Army PR boss expressed confidence that the Federal Government would provide the necessary resources, having initiated the expansion programme. He said the additional divisions would improve troop deployment, shorten response time and enhance the military’s ability to deny terrorists, bandits and kidnappers freedom of movement. Also, he added that the armed forces alone could not solve Nigeria’s security challenges without strengthening other security and law enforcement agencies. According to him, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Correctional Service and the criminal justice system all require sustained reforms.
Usman concluded that the expansion of the Army would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture if implemented alongside broader governance, institutional and socio-economic reforms that address the root causes of insecurity.
For retired General John Enenche, if the state police law is pursue to his logical conclusion, the Army expansion with correct implementation, will drastically checkmate insuecurity in the country.
Also, a former State Security Service (SSS) boss, Mike Ejiofor, expressed his reservations about the development, praiseworthy as it is. He argued that giving the urgency required by the worsening insecurity, the country needs short-term measures. According to him, creating more army divisions, recruitment of thousands of personnel and building of barracks to accommodate them are long-term projects that would require budgetary allocations besides the time frame for implementation.
“I think it is better to spend more money on technology, in terms of priority. Recruitment of personnel is a long- term project, so too is building of barracks and training,” he said, adding, “I don’t think it is easy to accommodate 28,000 new personnel. How long will it take to build the divisions, pay salaries, provide uniforms, kits? These things need extra-budgetary provisions and I don’t see how they can be achieved. Short-term measures like the move for state policing is okay.”
For the Executive Director of the Centre for Peace, Transparency and Accountability (CPTA), Mr Patrick Ogheneyero, who said the decision reflected the government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture and enhancing the operational capacity of the Armed Forces, the Federal Government should ensure adequate budgetary funding for the expansion, alongside the provision of modern military equipment and technology.
Ogheneyero also called for continuous professional training and retraining of personnel, improved welfare packages and the recruitment of additional qualified soldiers to meet the manpower needs of the expanded divisional structure. He said the measures would ensure that the expansion resulted in greater operational effectiveness and improved national security.
However, a former President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, welcomed the development, describing it as a solid departure from the past, uninspiring official response to insecurity. Viewed from the enhanced capacity of the army to respond to security threats in real time, Lawan described the decision as a strategic move with a greater degree to end insurgency and other security threats growing in leaps and bounds across the country.
“The asymmetric nature of modern warfare requires not just superior firepower, but superior manpower, strategic spread and operational agility. With this expansion, the Commander-in-Chief has demonstrated that he is not just a listening leader, but a thinking leader,” Lawan said, adding that the recruitment of 28,000 young Nigerians into the Army would strengthen national defence while creating employment opportunities for youths and reducing their vulnerability to crime and extremism. “More robust order of battle means a faster and more decisive end to the remnants of insurgency that have troubled our peace,” Lawan said.
President Tinubu’s decision comes amid persistent security challenges across the country, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, communal conflicts in the North-Central, separatist violence in parts of the South-East, crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and widespread kidnapping-for-ransom across several states.
According to the Presidency, the expansion underscores President Tinubu’s commitment to equipping the Armed Forces with the manpower, structure and resources required to respond effectively to Nigeria’s evolving security threats. The Presidency said the expansion is part of a broader military modernisation programme that has seen the Federal Government invest heavily in troop welfare, procurement of combat equipment, acquisition of strategic military platforms, logistics support and improved operational readiness.
Beyond approving the recruitment of 28,000 new soldiers, the President also endorsed a comprehensive restructuring of the Army’s Command architecture to improve operational coordination and decentralise decision-making. Under the new force structure, the Nigerian Army will now operate 12 divisions strategically positioned across Nigeria. The approved divisions are: 1 Division Headquarters – Kaduna: Covering Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States: 2 Division Headquarters – Ibadan: Covering Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States:3 Division Headquarters – Jos: Covering Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe States: 5 Division Headquarters – Makurdi: Covering Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi States: 6 Division Headquarters – Port Harcourt: Covering Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States:7 Division Headquarters – Maiduguri: Covering Borno and Yobe States: 8 Division Headquarters – Sokoto: Covering Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States: 9 Division Headquarters – Ilorin: Covering Kwara and Niger States: 10 Division Headquarters – Jalingo: Covering Taraba and Adamawa States: 81 Division Headquarters – Lagos: Covering Lagos and Ogun States: 82 Division Headquarters – Enugu: Covering Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo States: 83 Division Headquarters – Benin City: Covering Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States.
The Presidency said the establishment of the new divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City would improve command and control, strengthen border security, enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure and reinforce counter-insurgency and internal security operations nationwide.
It added that the restructuring would also ensure faster deployment of troops and more effective responses to emerging security threats across the country. The Federal Government said implementation of the new force structure would be carried out in two phases. The first phase, which includes the establishment of the 5, 9 and 10 Divisions, as well as the reorganisation of existing formations, is expected to be completed by September 2026. The second phase, involving the establishment of the 83 Division in Benin City and further structural adjustments, is scheduled for completion by December 2026.
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