NDA Opposes Automatic Admission for Military School Graduates, Citing Federal Character Concerns

The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) has formally opposed a proposed amendment to its governing Act that would grant automatic admission to graduates of military secondary schools, warning that the move could undermine constitutional principles and exclude more qualified candidates.

Brigadier General Taiye Ahmed, Director of Military Training at the NDA, presented the academy’s position on Tuesday during the second day of a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, chaired by Hon. Babajimi Benson.

The proposed legislation, a Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigerian Defence Academy Act, 2024 (HB.1709), seeks to alter Section 8(2) of the Second Schedule to the NDA Act by granting what General Ahmed described as “automatic admission, right of first refusal” to applicants from Nigerian military schools.

The proposed amendment provides that: “The board shall offer automatic admission for successful graduates from Nigerian military schools.”

Proponents of the bill argue that the measure would “prevent the graduates of the schools from being handy tools in the hands of non state violent actors because of their military background,” according to General Ahmed.

However, the NDA has raised significant concerns about the proposal in its current form.

“However it was observed that if the amendment is passed as phrased, it has the potential of creating statutory bottlenecks on the constitutional principle of federal character. The NDA operates on this principle to ensure national unity and equal representation across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory FCT,” General Ahmed told the committee.

He further warned that the proposal could face legal hurdles, adding: “Moreover, the proposed amendment could face legal challenges for being discriminatory against applicants who did not attend the military school as it could be perceived as disenfranchising them for admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy.”

The Director of Military Training stressed that graduates of military secondary schools already benefit from equal opportunities under the existing admission framework.

“The graduates of military schools currently have equal opportunity to seek admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy to be commissioned as regular combatant officers by competing with other interested Nigerians. The process has consistently ensured that the NDA selects the best candidates irrespective of the secondary school they attended,” he explained.

General Ahmed also highlighted alternative career pathways available to military school graduates, noting that they have “the opportunity for immediate enlistment as soldiers, especially the Nigerian Military School, Zaria upon graduation from military secondary schools and thereafter proceed to higher military institutions through military sponsorship.”

He added: “Upon graduation from higher institutions these graduates could apply to be commissioned as officers through the short service commission or the direct short service commission when advertised by any of the three services of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. Furthermore those unable to secure admission through the short service commission or the direct short service commission could apply for the executive commission later in their career.”

Admission into the NDA, General Ahmed emphasised, remains “highly competitive” and based on strict criteria.

“It is pertinent to state that the NDA has a very strict admission criteria including minimum JAMB score as well as very high standard physical, psychological and medical standard.”

The academy revealed that civilian applicants sometimes outperform their military school counterparts during the selection process.

“Available record in the Armed Forces show that civilian candidates could be better than some military school graduates based on their earlier mentioned criteria to avoid disenfranchising excellent candidates that did not have the opportunity of attending military schools from admission into NDA,” General Ahmed stated.

He concluded with a clear recommendation: “The NDA is of the opinion that the current admission process into the NDA should be maintained.”

Other Defence Bills Considered

Beyond the proposed amendment to the Nigerian Defence Academy Act, the committee also deliberated on three additional defence-related bills seeking to:

· Establish a Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre to enhance coordination and effectiveness of military operations

· Establish the Armed Forces Medical College, Abuja

· Establish the National Defence College of Nigeria as a postgraduate degree-awarding institution and centre for strategic research and professional military education

Committee Chairman’s Remarks

Speaking at the close of the session, Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson, commended participants for their contributions.

“This is the peoples Parliament. The contributions have been worthwhile,” Benson said.

The public hearing marks a critical stage in the legislative process, with stakeholders’ input set to inform the committee’s final recommendations on the four bills.