The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has declared that the health and wellbeing of soldiers and their families are indispensable to the Nigerian Army’s operational readiness, warning that a healthy and properly supported force is essential to sustaining the Army’s effectiveness in confronting the nation’s security challenges.
Shaibu made the declaration on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at Army Headquarters, Abuja, while receiving a high-level delegation led by former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (Rtd), for discussions on a proposed Public-Private Partnership to modernise healthcare delivery and infrastructure across the Nigerian Army.
The COAS said healthcare remains a central pillar of his “Soldier First” concept, stressing that sustained investment in quality medical services is vital to personnel welfare, morale and combat readiness.
According to him, the Army requires credible partnerships capable of bringing investment, expertise, technology and innovative solutions to complement government efforts in strengthening healthcare services for personnel and their families.
The proposed partnership will focus on the development and upgrading of Army hospitals, provision of modern medical equipment, pharmaceutical support and deployment of digital health solutions across Army formations and establishments.
Shaibu said the initiative aligns with his command philosophy of transforming the Nigerian Army into a more professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient force capable of decisively discharging its constitutional responsibilities within a joint and multi-agency environment.
The delegation, led by Buratai, included the Managing Director/CEO of Honey Star Resources Limited, Engr. Hamisu Tukur Buratai; Deputy Managing Director, Barrister Abduljabbar Kolo; representatives of M&P led by Ambassador Achraf Ibrahim, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt; and Mr. Ahmed Tarek of Elevate Egypt.
Also present were the President of the League of African Ambassadors, Ambassador Nwanne Omihe, and Ambassador Ijeoma.
The COAS expressed support for sustainable collaboration with credible private-sector and international partners, noting that modern healthcare infrastructure would strengthen personnel welfare while contributing directly to the Army’s capacity to maintain operational effectiveness.
The proposed PPP therefore represents an effort to leverage private-sector expertise and investment to build a more resilient Army healthcare system, improve access to quality medical services and ultimately strengthen the force’s ability to respond to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
