The Army, NADCEL 2026 and the ALFF
By Okey Ikechukwu
Our people say that a lion that has been without food for a month will not be at its prime, in terms of fighting strength. Our people also say that the roar of a lion with breathing problems may come dangerously close to sounding like the mewing of a hungry house cat. In sum, an army must be an army, not a Boys’ Scout Movement, not a vigilante groups and not a rag-tag neighbourhood security group.
It must be professional, disciplined, capacitated and running the tripod of (1) Seasoned strategic preeminence, (2) Operational effectiveness and (3) Well-choreographed logistics for desired end-states.
Against the background of the foregoing, I venture to say here today that the Nigerian Army is in dire straits. Not because it is not professional or well led, but because it is hamstrung by forces the public is not seeing, or at least not seeing very clearly. It was reported a few weeks ago that the Service had only received seven per cent (7%) of its budgetary allocation for 2026. This was not refuted. The muffled talks about delays in the payment of ‘Retirement Benefit’ to senior officers who retired since September 2025 is still in the air.
Below the fancy political talk of the government, about “quickly ending insurgency”, are the operational and logistics needs of the Nigerian military being me? As a fighting force, it is currently underfunded, underequipped and overstretched. Its capacity and ability to perform is being misrepresented. The many constraints are not seen by some commentators who often venture into the public domain with half-truths and outright lies.
Thus, the army is not sufficiently appreciated by a civilian population that cannot see below the surface. Not many of us know about the challenges of prolonged theatre exposure of soldiers beyond reasonable operational time limits. Not many know of occasional prolonged delays in procurement, the challenge of low supplies and the hamstringing of the top echelons by the absence of desperately needed financial and other resources. But that is for another day, because our task on this page today is NADCEL, and matters arising therefrom.
The African Land Forces Forum (ALFF) adjunct to the just concluded Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) threw up some very disturbing, if not outrightly distressing and embarrassing, issues that bear some discussion here. But, first, some paragraphs on NDACEL.
This is an annual event organized to commemorate the history, evolution, achievements, and service of the Nigerian Army. Beyond parades and other activities, the celebration traces the Army’s institutional origins to the formation of the Glover Hausas in 1863. It offers us the opportunity to see, and dwell on, the Army’s transformation from its early beginnings into a modern land force responsible for safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity and supporting national security.
In addition, NADCEL is also an occasion to honour serving personnel and commemorate officers and soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our fatherland. Beyond its commemorative function, it serves as a platform for institutional assessment and public engagement. The army uses this annual even to review operational achievements, evaluate readiness for current and emerging security challenges, showcase capabilities and technological advancements, and communicate future priorities.
For the record, the activities typically include public lectures, historical and research exhibitions, operational displays, religious services, medical outreaches, civil-military cooperation projects, and the presentation of awards to distinguished personnel. Through these activities, the Army reinforces its relationship with the public and demonstrates its commitment to professionalism, national unity, and constitutional responsibility.
I was at NADCEL 2025, which held in Kaduna, as Chief Examiner for the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) art and literary competition. It was well organized, colorful and a celebration of some intellectual dimension to civil-military relations and ‘catching them young’. My presence at the equally very well organized event of 2026 was however, largely unofficial, in the sense that it was a call from the African Lands Forces Forum (ALFF) that got me involved on an aspect of the activities.
This 163rd edition of NADCEL lasted from the 3rd to the 6th of July 2026. It was themed “Protecting the Nation and Serving the People: A Way Forward for the Nigerian Army” and reflected the Army’s dual responsibility of, first, protecting the country against terrorism, insurgency, banditry, separatist violence, and other threats; and second, remaining perpetually responsive to the population through professional conduct, respect for democratic authority, civil-military cooperation, and support for communities affected by insecurity.
This year’s theme sought to present national security and public service as complementary, rather than separate, responsibilities involving the military and every other member of society. It had the distinctive novelty of integrating the third African Land Forces Forum (ALFF) into the celebration. Which convened African Army Chiefs, senior military leaders, security officials, and selected international defense and technology partners.
The discussions at this level centred on shared security concerns, including terrorism, insurgency, organized banditry, border security challenges, and cross-border instability. The forum also examined force modernization, intelligence sharing, defense infrastructure, integrated operations, and technologies supporting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. And the inclusion of the African Land Forces Forum elevated NADCEL 2026 from a primarily national commemoration to a platform for continental defense cooperation, collaboration and national military diplomacy.
The Forum made it much easier for participating armies to exchange operational experiences, consider collective responses to transnational threats, and explore partnerships with defense and technology organizations. This development was particularly significant, given that many contemporary security challenges transcend national boundaries and cannot be addressed effectively by a single nation.
From the foregoing, it is fair to conclude that NADCEL 2026 was unique in its combination of institutional remembrance, operational evaluation, technological innovation, public engagement, and international defense cooperation and collaboration. While honouring the sacrifices and achievements of the Nigerian Army, the event also focused on future developments, by examining how the Army could become more professional, more adaptable, more technologically advanced, and better integrated with regional partners. The celebration reinforced the message that the future effectiveness of the Nigerian Army will depend not only on operational capability, but also on its ability to earn public trust, support its personnel, embrace innovation, and collaborate with other African land forces.
Now to what I consider the ALFF hiccup that nearly marred the NADCEL programme for me. I say nearly, because I have no doubt in my mind that the leadership of the Nigerian army do not know anything about what I am now delving into.
I got this message: “Hi Prof. Okey, hope you’re doing well. I’m Serah Project Director of the 3rd African Land Forces Forum, taking place from 4-6July alongside Nadcel 2026 in Port Harcourt”. Then a call came in two minutes later. A lady was on the other end of the phone.
She explained that she was advised to contact me, if they wanted “someone who would effectively moderate a Panel Session” on “Leveraging AI and Autonomous Systems for Border Security, Counter-Terrorism and Internal Security”, with the military Chiefs of some African Countries as my panel discussants. This was a day before the event and I could see that she, or her organization, was in a bit of a situation. I accepted, after pointing out that this was a disruption of some preplanned events; but which could wait.
As we discussed further about this particular engagement, the short notice and other issues connected with the ALFF and national security in Africa generally, she expressed some astonishment and asked to consult with her colleagues and get back to me. She did. Only to ask if I would be gracious enough to be part of the second day. Not only that, but for me to also present the Lead Paper on the topic: “Countering Asymmetric Threats in Evolving Security Landscapes: Adaptation as Way Forward”.
Aghast, I reminded her that this would mean three full days of my time and that I was not thinking of all that less than an hour ago. I gave some perspectives on the matter, but her focus was on my personally being the lead speaker. I eventually accepted, mainly because it had to do with our military, or so I thought, and also because they appeared to be in desperate need of a rescue.
When I asked about the logistics, including Honorarium, she sounded truly astonished. She explained that it was not their practice at ALFF to pay Honorarium, but that they would usually cover transportation, accommodation and feeding. It was my turn to not only be astonished but to feel scandalized. She consulted with her colleagues, got back to me and said that they were hamstrung, that it was not their usual practice. Finding that they were really in a bind on this matter of Honorarium, and seeing that there was no time, I accepted to come to Port Harcourt, etc.
To cut a long story short, I warehoused the panel session, made the required presentation and checked into another hotel after the first day. Several other things happened in the next two days, and below is the last message I sent this text to her, after several exchanges:
“We agreed you should book a 4pm flight from Abuja. You later called to say that it was sold out and asked whether I would accept to come into Port Harcourt by a 6.30pm flight. I agreed. I arrived Port Harcourt airport and couldn’t reach you, after repeated calls. Then I got your text message, asking me to take a taxi to the hotel, but without giving the name of the hotel.
I asked you for the name of the hotel at 8.11pm, standing in the airport open parking area. You sent me the name of the hotel at 8.16pm. I took a taxi to the hotel and was made to pay thirty-one thousand Naira plus for my dinner in the hotel. I checked out the next day, moved to another hotel and have now left Port Harcourt. I am truly appalled at the shabbiness of your general handling of this experience.
It is incorrect to speak of repeatedly telling me about a final flight date. You said nothing about your financial regulations, nothing about receipts; and it was until I raised the issue that you started talking about receipts and regulations. I Accepted to come for your programme at great personal inconvenience, accepted to chair a panel session on the first day. I obliged when you later pleaded that I also later deliver a major paper in addition.
There has been no communication from you since I left your hotel on Sunday. You did not take, or return, my call yesterday. When you called this morning and I mentioned my call of yesterday your ‘explanation’ was that you were very busy”, etc.
Shen asked for my details and paid in 462k the next day. As for Kayode, who is the CEO of a strong platform for capacity building and other knowledge support in military-related soft skills, who was invited and who also chaired a session, neither airfare nor land taxi costs were covered. And no one has contacted him since then.