Federal Government has created four new divisions for the Nigerian Army in a bid to enhance its professional efficiency and command and control effectiveness.
President Bola Tinubu approved the additional divisions to be sited in Benin, Ilorin, Jalingo and Makurdi, apparently to ensure a better defense spread of the Army particularly in the face of rising incidence of terrorism in different parts of the country.
To further strengthen the Army, Tinubu approved the recruitment of 28,000 soldiers, which further complements uptick in procurement of military equipment since President assumed duty on May 29, 2023.
The Tinubu administration has been beefing up the military, notably the increased cooperation with United States of America in fighting terrorism, purchase of military equipment, among others.
With the four new divisions, the Army now has 12 divisional status in the following areas:
- 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 (Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states)
- 5 Division: Headquarters – Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states)
- 6 Division: Headquarters – Port-Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River states)
- 7 Division: Headquarters – Maiduguri (Borno and Yobe states)
- 8 Division: Headquarters – Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states)
- 9 Division: Headquarters – Ilorin (Kwara and Niger states)
- 10 Division: Headquarters – Jalingo (Taraba and Adamawa states)
- 81 Division: Headquarters – Lagos (Lagos and Ogun states)
- 82 Division: Headquarters – Enugu (Enugu, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo states)
- 83 Division: Headquarters – Benin City (Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states).
It is envisaged that with these additional divisions and the impending fresh recruitments, the Army will be poised for improved resilience and effectiveness in defending Nigeria’s sovereignty and security of its citizens.