Defence Minister Proposes Military Training for All Nigerians

Minister of Defence Gen. Christopher Musa (retd) has put forward the idea that military training should be compulsory for Nigerians. According to him, firsthand exposure to what military service involves would help citizens better understand the sacrifices made by soldiers. He made the suggestion while speaking on the African Leadership Podcast with Ken Giami, which was released on Monday. Musa said such training would introduce civilians to the physical and mental pressures that soldiers face. These pressures, he said, include hunger, fatigue, sleep deprivation, and covering long distances in tough conditions. In his view, every Nigerian should have the chance to experience military training, because it would reshape their understanding of life. He explained that it could also help people grasp why troops sometimes endure severe conditions for long stretches while conducting security operations. It would demonstrate the meaning of endurance, he said, when a person walks many kilometres, feels exhausted, and must nevertheless continue. The former Chief of Defence Staff noted that troops are expected to make personal sacrifices to protect the country, including risking their own lives. He appealed to Nigerians to keep the human cost of military operations in mind when judging the performance of security personnel. Soldiers, he added, belong to families and leave their relatives behind when deployed to places where they may remain for long periods in harsh weather and face other operational hardships. Musa said this should be considered when the public criticises troops or questions whether the military should remain deployed in troubled areas. He said everyone desires peace, describing it as important, and stressed that troops are working to establish the conditions needed for citizens to live safely. The minister also addressed Nigeria's border-security difficulties. He linked some of the rise in infiltration to changes in the Sahel after Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali withdrew from ECOWAS. Nigeria, he said, is responding by deepening security collaboration with neighbouring states, including Cameroon. The partnership, he added, focuses in particular on safeguarding the country's southern borders. His remarks came as Nigeria continues to depend on military deployments and regional security cooperation to confront threats along its borders and elsewhere in the country.