A former Nigerian Air Force spokesman has criticised the Federal Government’s plan to establish four new Army divisions, describing the proposed timeline as unrealistic.
Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (Retd.) spoke during an interview on ARISE News on Monday. He said a standard division requires between 15,000 and 20,000 personnel, so the planned recruitment of 28,000 troops would barely suffice for one division.
President Bola Tinubu approved the new divisions last week. They are to be located in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, with the first three scheduled to begin operations by the end of September and the fourth by December.
Shehu argued that no division could be made combat-ready within three to five months. He urged the government to address existing gaps in equipment and personnel before creating new formations.
The retired officer also stressed the need for proper threat analysis and warned against political influence in decisions on military locations.
