By Mohammed Abdulkadir
Nigeria’s House of Representatives said on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 that EX-JAM, Ex-Boys EX-JAW and EX-SEAL who passed out of Nigeria’s four military schools across the country should be given the right of first refusal for admission into the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA).
With minority objection, the House resolved that in view of persistent security challenges facing the country, the rigorous military training and resources plowed into grooming the boys, junior airmen, junior airwomen and seals of the four military schools should not be rendered unproductive.
Moving the motion, Hon. Emeka Idu Godwin representing Onitsha North/ South Federal Constituency said the core vision behind setting up of the military schools; Nigeria Military School, (NMS) Zaria, (1954); Air Force Military School (AFMS) Jos, (1980); Air Force Girls Military School (AFGMS) Jos, (1986) and Nigerian Navy Military School, (NNMS) Ikot Ntuen, (2018) was to effectively and seamlessly harness and produce diligent, loyal and patriotic citizens to serve the Nigeria’s Armed Forces as commissioned officers.
He said that these military schools admit boys and girls from the ages of 11-12, administer onto them oath of allegiance and mould them into discipline, loyal and ready minds to serve as human resource pool for the Armed Forces of Nigeria through several military drills, physical training, field crafts, map reading and interpretation, weapon stripping and assembling, bush camping, shooting range, obstacle crossing, combat readiness, point to point compass march, mock war amongst other military subjects.
According to Hon. Idu, the country’s founding fathers’ vision of harnessing the potentials of young, willing, discipline and well-groomed young boys and girls, instilled with military doctrine to defend and sacrifice their freedom for national security and unity, through seamless transition from military schools to the Nigerian Defense Academy from tender ages must not be allowed to waste.
He regretted that many of these effective militarily-conditioned graduates of Nigeria’s four military schools face substantial challenges in gaining admission into the Nigeria Defence Academy, a critical next step towards military career paths.
Hon. Idu lamented that, despite the EX-JAM, Ex-Boys, EX-JAW and EX-SEAL’s six years rigorous military training and regimental upbringing at the Military Schools, statistics show that in the last five years, only about 4.1% of the total annual admissions into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) have passed through the Military Schools.
He observed that with the increased insecurity across Nigeria, such highly skilled young men and women whose military training are left unharnessed could be a handy and deadly tool for subversive elements.
In a resolution passed following a motion of urgent public importance, the House directed its committee on defence to interface with relevant agencies concerned for further action.
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