# Nigerian Defence Minister Calls for Military Training for All Citizens

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2026/11/nigerian-defence-minister-calls-for-military-training-for-all-citizens/
- Published: 2026-11-03T17:23:40+01:00
- Author: Ekene Lionel

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd), has suggested
that all Nigerians undergo military training, saying it would give civilians first-
hand experience of some of the demands of military service, local media [reported](https://guardian.ng/news/defence-minister-proposes-military-training-for-every-nigerian/).“
Every Nigerian should be able to go through military training,” he said.

[Speaking](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IiyjEmoYXA4) on the African Leadership
Podcast, hosted by Ken Giami, in an interview [reported on 23 September 2026](https://www.naijanews.com/2026/09/23/nigerian-military-training-defence-minister-musa/),
Musa cited exhaustion, lack of sleep and prolonged physical exertion as examples
of what participants would encounter. Military training “will give you a different
perspective about life,” he said.

“You will now understand what it means to stay hungry, what it means to walk in 
days without sleep,” he added. “It will show you what endurance means, when you 
walk kilometers and you are tired but you still need to keep on going.”

![Nigerian Army soldier in combat equipment](https://www.military.africa/wp-content/
uploads/2024/09/20240916_225643-scaled.jpg)

A Nigerian Army soldier. Musa said civilian training would show Nigerians the hunger,
fatigue and endurance troops face on operations. (Military Africa file photo)

## A Defence of the Troops

Musa argued that such an experience could help explain the demands placed on soldiers
to people who insult them or question why military operations continue. Troops, 
he said, often go without food or rest “because of the nature of the thing and because
you are doing it to protect,” comparing their sacrifice to the Bible’s teaching 
that there is no greater love than giving one’s life for a friend. “And that’s exactly
what the military men are doing, putting their lives at stake for their country 
to move around,” he said.

“That’s why sometimes it’s very painful when you see people insulting the military
and telling them they don’t need it or we don’t want this to end,” he added.

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The remarks reflect pressure on the Armed Forces of Nigeria, which are stretched
across counter-insurgency in the North East against Boko Haram and the Islamic State
West Africa Province (ISWAP), banditry in the North West and North Central, and 
separatist violence and oil theft in the South. Musa, who served as Chief of Defence
Staff before becoming defence minister, has spent the year seeking more equipment
and partners for that fight, from a [record ₦3.16 trillion defence budget](https://www.military.africa/2026/06/nigerias-defence-budget-hits-record-high-but-inflation-eats-the-gains/)
to [closer counter-terrorism ties with the United States](https://www.military.africa/2026/10/us-nigeria-strengthens-counter-terror-ties/)
and [€20 million in European Union support](https://www.military.africa/2026/10/eu-pledges-e20-million-in-military-aid-to-nigeria/).

## No Plan Yet, and an NYSC Being Reformed

Musa did not set out a programme, a legal basis or a budget, and the government 
has not announced any plan for compulsory training. Nigeria has never had conscription;
its armed forces are all-volunteer.

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The closest existing scheme is the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the compulsory
one-year service for graduates created in 1973, which begins with a military-style
orientation camp run with soldiers as drill instructors. In June 2026 the Federal
Executive Council approved the first comprehensive overhaul of the scheme, [News Central reported](https://newscentraltv.com/?p=425440),
extending orientation camp from three to six weeks with a focus on civic values,
career and business skills, introducing 11 career streams including a Paramilitary
and Security Corps, placing the NYSC under a civilian head and replacing the passing-
out parade with a graduation ceremony. The changes drew warnings that the corps’
military character should not be lost. “Under no circumstance should the military
training be discarded from the service,” former senator Shehu Sani said, [according to Blueprint](https://blueprint.ng/?p=823665).

![Nigerian Army personnel](https://www.military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/
Nigerian-Army-to-integrate-drones-and-combat-aviation-into-operations-to-counter-
asymmetric-threats-scaled.jpg)

Nigerian Army personnel. Nigeria’s armed forces are all-volunteer, and the country
has never had conscription. (Military Africa file photo)

## Lessons From Military Service Elsewhere in Africa

If Abuja does take the idea further, it will find mixed precedents on the continent.
Morocco [reinstated compulsory military service in 2019](https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2026/03/281373/morocco-opens-military-service-registration-for-2026-conscript-intake/)
for citizens aged 19 to 25 and runs an annual intake. Egypt has long relied on conscription
to fill its ranks, while Eritrea’s open-ended national service has driven many young
people to flee the country. For Nigeria, with a population of more than 200 million,
universal training would require camps, instructors and funding on a scale far beyond
the NYSC, which suggests any programme would more likely start as a voluntary or
targeted scheme built on the reformed youth service.

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