• Oluyede reassures retirees on ‘consequential effect’ on pensions 

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has called for closer engagement with retired military personnel in the North-East to strengthen intelligence gathering and support ongoing security operations.

Also, following their protests on Wednesday, Oluyede assured that increases in the salaries of serving soldiers have a consequential effect on veterans’ pensions. He added that some of the protesters might not have fully understood the implications of the measures being taken to improve the welfare of serving and retired personnel.

In the meantime, the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has rallied the Nigerian Army to harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in its operations.

Oluyede, who spoke yesterday in Yola at the CDS engagement meeting with Nigerian military veterans in the North-East Zone, said the veterans remained an important part of the country because of their years of service, military training and experience.

He added that their knowledge of communities across the country could be harnessed to provide useful information to security agencies, thereby helping ensure that Nigeria remains one entity to this day.

According to him, the military leadership considers veterans valuable because of the training and experience they acquired during their years of active service, adding that stronger interaction between security agencies and veterans would help create additional channels for obtaining information from communities, particularly in areas facing security challenges.

However, he disclosed ongoing discussions with the Bank of Industry about possible partnerships to enable retirees to access low-interest loans to help them establish businesses, including farming, or other economic activities that would keep them economically productive and enable them to continue contributing to society.

Speaking on behalf of retired officers, the National President of the Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers’ Association of Nigeria (RANAO), Maj. Gen. Hussaini Saliu, said the association had a wide network of retired military personnel.

He maintained that engagement with the CDS provided an opportunity for veterans to discuss welfare concerns and explore ways they could contribute their experience to national security.

Meanwhile, the NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the Nigerian Army’s 4th Data Management and Record-Keeping Seminar 2026, urged the military to leverage data and AI as strategic assets to strengthen intelligence, decision-making, and operational effectiveness in modern warfare.

Inuwa, who spoke on “From Data to Decision Advantage: Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Warfare,” noted that AI would not replace military personnel but that institutions and individuals that fail to embrace the technology risk being left behind.

According to him, intelligent automation can reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, streamline workflows and free officers to focus on critical strategic and operational responsibilities.

He advocated stronger digital sovereignty in the defence sector, cautioning against excessive reliance on foreign commercial platforms. He also called for stronger military-civilian partnerships to develop indigenous technologies to address Nigeria’s security needs.

Recommending an enterprise approach to digital transformation, beginning with clear objectives, optimised processes and a skilled workforce, Inuwa emphasised that the future of warfare would not be determined by who has the most data but by who could faster turn data into insight; insight into decisions, and decisions into action.