The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is a military university based in

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Region, Nigeria, Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the ...

, Nigeria that trains

officer cadets Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

for commissioning into one of the three services of the

Nigerian Armed Forces The Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF) are the combined military forces of Nigeria. It consists of three uniformed service branches: the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force. The President of Nigeria functions as the commander-in-chief o ...

: the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

, and the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

. The duration of training at the Nigerian Defence Academy is five years (four years academic and one year military).

History

The NDA was established in February 1964 as a reformation of the British run ''Royal Military Forces Training College'' (RMFTC), which had been renamed the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) on independence. The military institution trains the officer corps of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force. The initial class had only 62

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

s, and the trainers were mostly officers in the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. The Nigerian National Defence Academy (NDA) follows the pattern of similar NDA in Khadakwasla, Pune, India. The first commandant of NDA was Indian Army Brigadier M.R Verma. The NDA grew to an all Nigerian training staff only in 1978.Welcome page, NIGERIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY, www.nigeriandefenceacademy.edu.ng (2008), accessed 2009-04-20 In 1981 itself began bilateral training of foreign militaries. In 1985 the academy commenced offering undergraduate programmes to Military Officers In Training and now also currently offers post graduate studies both for

Msc MSC may refer to: Computers * Message Sequence Chart * Microelectronics Support Centre of UK Rutherford Appleton Laboratory * MIDI Show Control * MSC Malaysia (formerly known as Multimedia Super Corridor) * USB mass storage device class (USB MSC ...

and

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

for both military and civilian students alike. The central mission remains the training of young officer cadets in the 5 year ''"Regular Combatant Course"'' in which cadets are groomed in Military, Academic and Character development to instill discipline and leadership skills according to global best practices, culminating in the award of a bachelor's degree and presidential commissioning into the rank of

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

for Army cadets or equivalent in the Navy and Air Force for respective cadets. Until 2011 this course used to be exclusively for males, the first set of female cadets commenced training in September 2011. As of 2019, its total cadet class is around 2500. The current Commandant is

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Ibrahim Manu Yusuf who was the former registrar of the academy. He took over from Maj Gen Sagir Yaro.Ahmadu-Suka, Maryam. "General Jamilu takes over as 29th NDA Commandant". Daily Trust. Daily Trust. Before his appointment, Yaro was the general managing director, Nigerian Army Welfare Limited by Guarantee (NAWLG).

Academic Library

Nigerian Defence Academy

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

is the main Library that support both teaching and military training. The library acquired and developed information resources that meet the information needs of cadets, faculty members, officers and civilians staff. The academy library was lunched at the end of 1963 to facilitate and enhance effective learning. The Library was finally moved to the permanent site on the 16 of June 2009 for effective teaching and learning to meet the objectives and the current Academy Librarian is Umar Lawal.

Commandants

Below is the chronological list of NDA Commandants: *Brigadier M.R. Varma (1964 – 1969) (Indian national and 1st Commandant of the NDA) *Major General

David Ejoor David Akpode Ejoor RCDS, PSC, (10 January 1932 – 10 February 2019) was a Nigerian Army officer who served as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Early life He was the first Nigerian Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy and was once administr ...

(January 1969 – January 1971) (1st Nigerian Commandant) *Major General

Robert Adeyinka Adebayo Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (9 March 1928 – 8 March 2017) was a Nigerian Army major general who served as governor of the now defunct Western State of Nigeria, 1966–1971. He was also Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army and was Commandant of the ...

(January 1971 – March 1971) *Major General Eyo Okon Ekpo (March 1971 – February 1975) *Brigadier Illiya Bisalla (February 1975 – August 1975) *Brigadier

Gibson Jalo Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gibso ...

(August 1975 – January 1978) *Brigadier E.S. Armah (January 1978 – July 1978) *Brigadier

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(July 1978 – July 1979) *Brigadier

Zamani Lekwot Zamani Lekwot (born 19 July 1944) in Jankasa, is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the military governor of Rivers State, Nigeria from July 1975 to July 1978 during the military administration of Generals Murtala Muhammed and Olu ...

(July 1979 – 1982) *Brigadier

Abdullahi Shelleng Abdullahi Shelleng (born 20 January 1942) was the first Military Governor of Benue State, Nigeria from 3 February 1976 to July 1978 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, after Benue State had been split from the old Benue-Plate ...

(1982 – January 1984) *Major General

Paul Tarfa Paul Chabri Tarfa (born 6 August 1941) is a retired Nigerian army major general who was appointed Governor of Oyo State, during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, handing over to the elected civilian governor Bola Ige. Early ...

(January 1984 – 1985) *Major General Peter Adomokai (1986 – 1988) *Lieutenant General Salihu Ibrahim (1988 – 1990) *Lieutenant General

Garba Duba Garba Duba (born 1942) is a retired Nigerian Army Lieutenant general who was Governor of Bauchi State, Nigeria from July 1978 to October 1979 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, and Administrator of Sokoto State from January ...

(1990 – February 1992) *Lieutenant General

Aliyu Mohammed Gusau Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (born 18 May 1943) is a Nigerian general and statesman. He has held several high level national security, military and intelligence offices, and has participated in several military coups, playing a central role in foundin ...

(February 1992 – January 1993) *Lieutenant General

Mohammed Balarabe Haladu Mohammed Balarabe Haladu (194428 June 1998) was a Nigerian Army Lieutenant general who served as the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 1993 to 1994. He was also a former federal Minister for Industry. Born in Kano, Haladu had his m ...

(January 1993 – 1994) *Air Marshal

Al-Amin Daggash Al-Amin Musa Daggash (born 1 October 1942) is a retired Air Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force who served as the 7th Chief of the Nigerian Defence Staff from 1998 to 1999 under the General Abdulsalami Abubakar regime. He was the first non-ar ...

(1994 – June 1998) *Major General

Bashir Salihi Magashi Bashir Salihi Magashi (born 1 October 1949) is a retired Nigerian army major general and current Defence Minister of Nigeria. He was appointed Governor of Sokoto State from August 1990 to January 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahi ...

(June 1998 – 1999) *Major General Thaddeus Ashei (2000 – 2002) *Major General Okon Edet Okon (2002 – 2003) *Major General Patrick Ademu Akpa (2003 – 2004) *Lieutenant General Abel Akale (2004 – 2006) *Major General

Harris Dzarma Harris Musa Dzarma (born 1952) is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the 23rd Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 2006 to 2008 where he was considered one of the commandants to have served in the academy since its esta ...

(2006 – August 2008) *Major General Mamuda Yerima (August 2008 – August 2010) *Major General Emeka Onwuamaegbu (August 2010 – December 2013) *Major General

Muhammad Inuwa Idris Muhammad Inuwa Idris (born 1960) is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the 26th Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). He was appointed Commandant on 26 December 2013 and succeeded as Commandant by Major General M.T. Ib ...

(December 2013 – August 2015) *Major General Mohammed Tasiu Ibrahim (August 2015 – October 2017) *Major General Adeniyi Oyebade (October 2017 – November 2019) *Major General Jamilu Sarham (November 2019 – March 2021) *Major General Sagir Yaro (March 2021 – April 2021) *Major General Ibrahim Manu Yusuf (April 2021 – Present)

Alumni

Some notable alumni: * Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, former Chief of Army Staff *

Alexander Ogomudia Alexander Odeareduo Ogomudia (born 29 December 1949) is a retired Nigerian army general who served as Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria from 2003 to 2006 and Chief of Army Staff from 2001 to 2003. Biography The Nigerian Army officially des ...

, former Chief of Defence Staff & Chief of Army Staff *

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

, former Military ruler of Nigeria *

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 Au ...

President of Nigeria The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Niger ...

and former Military Head of State *

Azubuike Ihejirika Azubuike Ihejirika, (born 13 February 1956) is a retired Nigerian Army Lieutenant general and former Chief of Army Staff. Early life and education Ihejirika was born on February 13, 1956, in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, S ...

, former Chief of Army Staff *

Dangiwa Umar Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (born 21 September 1949) was governor of Kaduna state in Nigeria from August 1985 to June 1988 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. After retiring from the army in 1993, he became a social critic and the f ...

, former Governor of

Kaduna State Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...

Gideon Orkar Major Gideon Gwaza Orkar (October 4, 1952 - July 27, 1990) was a Nigerian military officer who staged a violent coup against the government of General Ibrahim Babangida on April 22, 1990. Orkar and his conspirators seized the FRCN radio station, v ...

, April 1990 coup leader *

Tukur Yusuf Buratai Tukur Yusuf Buratai (born 24 November 1960) is a retired Nigerian army lieutenant general, former Chief of Army Staff (appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2015), and Nigeria's Ambassador to the Republic of Benin. He was commissi ...

, former Chief of Army Staff,

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army. History Formation The Nigerian ...

* Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, former Chief of Naval Staff,

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Kayode Are Lateef Kayode Are is a retired Nigerian Army Colonel who was Director General of the Nigerian State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007 and briefly served as National Security Adviser in 2010. Are served as an officer in the Directorate of ...

, former

National Security Adviser A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

and Director General State Security Service *

Maxwell Khobe Maxwell Mitikishe Khobe (1 January 1950 – 18 April 2000) was the Nigerian Commander of The ECOMOG Peacekeeping Force in Sierra Leone and Chief of the Defence Staff of Sierra Leone. Background & education Khobe was born in Zekun, Adamawa State a ...

, former

ECOMOG The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work ...

Peacekeeping Force Commander and Chief of Defence Staff, Sierra Leone * Emeka Onwuamaegbu Former Commandant, NDA *

, Former Commandant, NDA *

Oladipo Diya Donaldson Oladipo Diya (born 3 April 1944) is a Nigerian general who served as Chief of the General Staff, (''de facto'' Vice President of Nigeria) under military head of state General Sani Abacha from 1994 until his arrest for treason in 1997. ...

, former Chief of Defence Staff *

Owoye Andrew Azazi Owoye Andrew Azazi (1 February 1952 – 15 December 2012) was a Nigerian army general who served as National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, was Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Nigeria, and Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Befor ...

, former Chief of Defence Staff & Chief of Army Staff *Sultan

Sa'adu Abubakar Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar ( ar, محمد سعد أبو بكر), CFR (born 24 August 1956) is the 20th Sultan of Sokoto. As Sultan of Sokoto, he is considered the spiritual leader of Northern Nigeria's Muslims, the majority of the nation's popula ...

Sultan of Sokoto Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Sambo Dasuki Sambo Dasuki (born 2 December 1954) is a retired Nigerian military officer who served as National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan and briefly to Muhammadu Buhari. Early life Dasuki was born on December December 2, 1954 in Wusas ...

Tunji Olurin Adetunji Idowu Ishola Olurin mni ( yo, Adétúnjí Ìdòwú Ìṣọ̀lá Olúrìn; 3 December 1944 – 20 August 2021) was a Nigerian one-star general in the national army, who served as the military Governor of Oyo State and Field Commander o ...

, former military governor of

Oyo State Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the east by Osun ...

Victor Malu Victor Samuel Leonard Malu (15 January 1947 – 9 October 2017) DSS mni fwc psc was Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from 1999 to 2001 and Force Commander of the ECOMOG peace-keeping force in Liberia from 1996 to 1998. Birth and education ...

, former Chief of Army Staff * John Michael Ogidi, former

Officer and Commander Corps of Signals

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

Headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

References

External links

* * {{authority control Defence agencies of Nigeria Military education and training in Nigeria Educational institutions established in 1964 1964 establishments in Nigeria