Stakeholders oppose bill seeking to amend defence accademy Act

Brigadier General Taiye Ahmed, director of Military Training, Nigerian Defence Academy, in his presentation opposed the amendment at a public hearing on the bill organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Defence.

The hearing considered four defence-related bills, including a Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigerian Defence Academy Act, 2024 and for Related Matters (HB.1709), which proposes automatic admission for graduates of Nigerian military schools into the academy.

He explained that the proposed amendment seeks to alter Section 8(2) of the Second Schedule to the NDA Act by granting what he described as ” right of first refusal” to applicants from Nigerian military schools.

According to him, the justification advanced by the proponents is “to prevent the graduates of the schools from being handy tools in the hands of non state violent actors because of the graduate military background.”

He further explained that the proposal also seeks to introduce an interpretation section defining “The Board” as the Board of the Nigerian Defence Academy, “Applicant” as candidates applying to the NDA, and “Nigerian Military Schools” as military schools that provide full military and academic training, including the Nigerian Military School, Zaria; Air Force Military School; Air Force Girls Military School; and the Nigerian Navy Military School.

However, Ahmed said the academy does not support the amendment 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,” he said.

He added that the proposal could also face legal hurdles because it would unfairly disadvantage other Nigerians seeking admission into the academy.

“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.”

Ahmed maintained that graduates of military secondary schools already enjoy equal opportunities under the existing admission process.

He disclosed that available records indicate that civilian applicants sometimes outperform graduates of military secondary schools during the selection process.

He concluded by urging lawmakers to retain the current admission framework.

Besides the proposed amendment to the Nigerian Defence Academy Act, the committee also considered 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; and establish the National Defence College of Nigeria as a postgraduate degree-awarding institution and centre for strategic research and professional military education.

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