Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, has said every Nigerian should undergo military training to gain a better understanding of the hardship, discipline and sacrifices involved in protecting the country.
Musa made the remarks while speaking on the African Leadership Podcast with Ken Giami, where he discussed the demands of military service and the challenges faced by personnel deployed to secure the country.
According to the minister, military training would expose Nigerians to the physical and mental demands of service, including hunger, exhaustion, long periods without sleep and the need to continue working despite extreme fatigue.
“Every Nigerian should be able to go through military training. It will give you a different perspective about life. You will now understand what it means to stay hungry and what it means to work in days without sleep,” Musa said.
He added that such experience would help citizens understand the endurance required of soldiers operating in difficult conditions.
“It will show you what endurance means when you walk kilometres and you are tired but you still need to keep on going.
“You have not eaten; you have not taken one because of the nature of the thing and because you are doing it to protect,” he said.
Musa linked the experience of military personnel to the sacrifice involved in protecting the lives and property of other citizens.
“And that’s exactly what the military men are doing, putting their lives at stake for their country to move around,” he said.
The Defence Minister also appealed to Nigerians to have greater appreciation for soldiers, noting that military personnel are members of families who leave their loved ones behind while serving in difficult environments.
He said criticism of the military should take into account the conditions under which troops operate and the sacrifices they make to keep the country secure.
“Everybody wants peace, and that is important, so we want them to understand soldiers are fathers, brothers and sisters of people.
“They’ve families they’ve left behind, staying in the weather, rain, dust, night or day, staying there to ensure the country is secured,” Musa said.
The minister’s comments come amid Nigeria’s continuing security challenges, including terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
He also discussed broader counter-insurgency efforts during the podcast, including the need for stronger domestic capacity to produce military equipment.
Musa further attributed increased infiltration along some of Nigeria’s borders to developments involving Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He said Nigeria was also strengthening bilateral security relationships with neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, as part of efforts to secure the country’s southern borders.
(The Sun)
