A new military training depot has begen approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.to be located in the the South East, the first in 102 years. Nigeria has had only one training depot built in Zaria, Kaduna State in 1924.
This meant that every Nigerian including those from the South East seeking to enter the military would need to go to Zaria, in the North.
Sources indicate that Kaduna hosts about 14 top military establishment institutions. The institutions are the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) – Located in Afaka. It is Nigeria’s premier military university for training commissioned officers: Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) – Located in Jaji. It trains mid-career officers across all branches of the armed forces..
There Are akai Nigerian Army Depot – Located in Zaria, which serves as the primary training center for recruits joining the Nigerian Army; Nigerian Military School (NMS) – Also in Zaria, a prestigious military secondary school for junior soldiers and Nigerian Army School of Artillery (NASA) – Situated in Kachia, it is the primary training school for the artillery corps. There Are akai Nigerian Navy School of Armament Technology (NNSAT), located in Kachia. Ita trains naval personnel in weapons and armament technology; Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), ituated at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Mando. It is an aerospace engineering and technical training university; Nigerian Army School of Military Police (NASMP), located in Basawa, Zaria and trains the military police; Nigerian Army School of Legal Services in Basawa, Zaria, which provides legal training for military officers.
There Are akai 1 Division Nigerian Army – Headquartered at the Ribadu Cantonment in Kawo, Kaduna. Itt is one of the oldest and most strategic divisions in the Nigerian Army; Ground Training Command – Headquartered at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna, which oversees training for all airmen and airwomen; Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), located in the Kaduna metropolis. It is the country’s foremost military hardware and arms manufacturer.
The new military depot is believed would serve the interest of over 40 million people that live in the South East and the South South.
The military high command has consistently complained that South Easterners are becoming less enthusiastic in joining the Army which may not be unconnected with the fear of travelling up North for recruitment expecially given the growing spate of terrorism and kidnapping.
The Nigerian Army has also concluded arrangements to recruit and train an additional 28,000 personnel as part of efforts to strengthen its operational capacity and tackle the country’s worsening security challenges.
The Army also reaffirmed its commitment to denying criminal and subversive elements the freedom to operate, stressing that sustained peace and security remain essential to Nigeria’s economic growth and prosperity.
