COAS charges officers to leverage technology for enhanced inspection, compliance
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has called on officers to harness technology to boost inspection and compliance processes in the Nigerian Army.
Shaibu made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while declaring open the Directorate of Inspections and Compliance Project Inspections Workshop 2026.
The army chief, represented by the Chief of Logistic Nigeria Army, Maj.-Gen. Adekunle Adeyinka, said that the workshop, with the themed: ‘”Leveraging Technology: Panacea for Enhanced Inspection and Compliance,” was both timely and apt.
He said that technological innovation was crucial to operational success in today’s digital age.
Shaibu commended the Directorate for organising the workshop, describing it as a clear demonstration of the Nigerian Army’s commitment to accountability and institutional effectiveness.
He said that inspections were vital for translating policies into tangible outcomes, and urged officers to adopt digital inspection platforms, real-time reporting systems, and data analytics to improve transparency and decision-making.
“Inspections remain a vital command instrument for translating policies, plans, and projects into tangible operational and administrative outcomes.
“Beyond its traditional oversight function, inspections serve as objective feedback mechanisms that enable commanders to identify systemic gaps, optimise resource utilisation, enforce discipline and sustain operational readiness in today’s complex and dynamic operating environment.
“However, manual and fragmented inspection processes have become increasingly inadequate, necessitating the adoption of integrated, technology-driven solutions.
“Leveraging technology to enhance inspection and compliance processes aligns squarely with my Command Philosophy,” he said.
He said that the aims was to transform 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”.
“To this end, we must begin to interrogate how digital inspection platforms, real-time reporting systems, data analytics, and standardised compliance dashboards could be harnessed for improving transparency, accuracy, responsiveness, and decision-making across the Service.”
Shaibu said that technology-enabled inspections were meant to enhance performance, not fault-find.
According to him, the workshop aims to expose participants to best practices in technology-driven project management and compliance frameworks.
He urged participants to engage actively and propose implementable solutions to strengthen inspection regimes.
In his remarks earlier, the Director, Directorate of Inspections and Compliance Project Inspections, Maj.-Gen. Auwalu Mahmuda, emphasised the importance of adopting modern technology-enabled inspection systems to drive this transformation.
“The Nigerian Army is undergoing a significant transformation in its inspection and compliance processes, with a focus on leveraging technology to enhance operational readiness and institutional credibility.”
According to him, the workshop marks a deliberate shift towards integrated, data-driven systems.
Mahmuda said that effective project inspection was critical to the Army’s transformation, influencing operational readiness, resource optimisation, and fiscal discipline.
“The Directorate of Inspection and Compliance is working to transition inspection and compliance processes from manual approaches to technology-driven systems.
“Technology enhances our mandate by enabling accurate baseline establishment, continuous monitoring, automated variance detection, transparent audit trails, and improved lifecycle management of projects,” he said