Every Nigerian should be able to undergo military training – Defence minister - Punch Newspapers

The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has said every Nigerian should be able to undergo military training, arguing that such training would build discipline, endurance and a different perspective on life. Musa said this in an interview on the African Leadership Podcast with Ken Giami, released on YouTube on Monday. He said military training would help Nigerians understand the sacrifices required to protect the country and the importance of teamwork. “For me, I think it’s the best. If I have my way, every Nigerian should be able to go through military training. I can tell you for free. “It will give you a different perspective about life. You will now understand what it means to stay hungry, what it means to walk in days without sleep. It will show you what endurance means, that when you walk kilometres and you are tired, but you still need to keep up going. “You have not eaten, you have not taken well, because of the nature of the thing. And because you are doing it to protect. Just like what the Bible says, that there’s no greater friend than he who will give his life for his friend.” Musa, who was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1991 after joining the Nigerian Defence Academy as a cadet in 1986, said military personnel were sacrificing their lives to protect the country. “And that’s exactly what the military men are doing, putting their lives at stake for their country to move around. And so that’s why sometimes it’s very painful when you see people insulting the military and telling them they don’t need, or we don’t want this to end. Nobody’s dying now, doesn’t want it to end.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google “Everybody wants peace. And I think that’s very important. And so we always try to let them understand that, look, these people we are talking to, they are fathers, they are brothers, they are sisters of people. “They have families that they’ve left behind, staying there, whether it is rain, it is dust, it is night, it is day. They are walking, making sure that the country is secure. So I think they deserve some commendation.” The minister said military training also teaches people that they need to work with others rather than operate alone. “No man is an island. No man is, so you need a team, and the military is a team that works together. So that’s very critical for us.” Army urges journalists to ensure balanced reporting, highlight military sacrifices Police kill bandit, rescue seven, arrest 17 suspects in 10 states Ignore fake conference advertisement, Army College tells Nigerians Musa also spoke about the sacrifices made by military personnel and their families, saying he spent much of the early years of his marriage away from his family because of his military duties. “Like I told people, for the first 17 years of our marriage, I never spent 30 days at a straight with my family. Never. “So you can imagine how 17 years of my marriage, never spent 30 straight days together. So you have kids that are growing up, and those are formative years for your children, because you need to have that. Once they get to school, start going to universities, they are gone. “So these are the sacrifices that people make. So when you hear people saying, look, what are they doing? It’s really demoralizing. And if you demoralize your troops, they can’t give you their best.” On the country’s security challenges, Musa said winning the fight against insecurity required both military and non-military approaches. He said, “That’s why we say in every – dealing with insurgency, you need both working together, both the kinetic, which is about 25, 30 percent. Seventy percent is about non-kinetic, and then the ability to have – when people can eat, feed well, when they have good roads, they have hospitals, they have good schools, they are secured, and all this is working together.” The minister also urged Nigerians to believe in the country, saying patriotism was necessary for national development. “I think the important thing is for Nigerians to believe in the country. That’s very critical. “If you don’t love your country, you can’t defend it.” Musa said the military would continue working to ensure peace and security across the country. “We (troops) really appreciate them. Nigerians appreciate them. We want Nigeria to be peaceful, as it used to be in the past. “So we can do it, and we’re achieving that process. They should not allow anything to discourage them. No matter what it is, they’re doing a great job, and we’re very proud of them.” Saheed Oyelakin Saheed is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over two years of experience covering metro, technology, sports, politics, and human-interest stories. He focuses on producing clear, engaging reports across diverse beats. Saheed’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate and balanced journalism.

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