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March, 29

Military Schools for PostGraduate Degrees in Nigeria

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Many officers dream to advance their education and earn a higher degree as that will even increase their chances of a more successful career in the Military. However, you can’t just wake up and jump into a postgraduate Officer school in Nigeria. Before enrolling in a military postgraduate school in Nigeria, you should consider the following:

  1. Eligibility requirements: Ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications for the school, such as age, educational background, and military experience.
  2. Curriculum and course offerings: Research the school’s curriculum and course offerings to make sure they align with your career goals.
  3. Cost: Determine the cost of tuition and other expenses and plan accordingly.
  4. Career prospects: Consider the potential career opportunities and advancement that may be available after completing your studies.
  5. Physical and mental demands: Be prepared for the physical and mental rigors of military training.
  6. Living arrangements: Familiarize yourself with the living arrangements, such as barracks or housing, and what is expected of students.
  7. Location: Consider the location of the school and the potential impact on your personal and professional life.

1. Armed Forces Command and Staff College

Introduction

The Armed Forces Command and Staff College is a Joint Service institution created to develop military officers at the operational level who uphold the highest professional standards and guarantee uniformity of staff duties in the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Historical development

The British Army Advisory Team helped to create the college on May 29, 1976, as the Army Command and Staff College (BAAT). A Royal Air Force Advisory Team was called to join their Army counterparts when it was decided to build the Air Faculty at Jaji for the training of Nigerian Air Force officers.

In order to reflect the expected tri-service structure of the College, the Army Command and Staff College were renamed Command and Staff College (CSC) on September 1, 1978. For the first Command and Staff Course, two Navy officers and twenty Air Force officers joined their Army counterparts (CSC 1). 

Following swiftly, the Air Force Base Kaduna’s Junior Division of the Air Faculty was formed on February 26th, 1979. In August 1986, it moved entirely to Jaji. Thirteen faculty members attended CSC 4, the Navy’s inaugural course in Jaji, when the Naval Faculty officially began operations on 1 September 1981.

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In August 1984, the Naval Faculty Junior Division was founded in Jaji, offering the College a full tri-service perspective. When the BAAT departed for the UK in 1985, the College was to be totally Nigerianized.

But to gain knowledge of joint warfare, five British commanders were asked to provide advice on the creation of a joint warfare division, creating the Joint Warfare Advisory Team (JWAT). 

When the JWAT left the College in October of that same year, this division was fully operational and the College was totally Nigerianized. Officers from the Ghanaian Armed Forces participated as Directing Staff in the College as part of a military exchange program between their Ghanaian and Nigerian counterparts.

The Commandant’s and Deputy Commandant’s offices, as well as four staff branches that report to the Commandant for administration, training, and coordination, make up the College Headquarters. Below are the branches;

  • Coordination Branches
  • Administration Branches
  • Logistics Branches
  • Finance Branches

The Minister for the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, Adam Ingram, visited Jaji in September 2005 and declared that an additional 200,000 UK pounds will be made available to support the training of more than 17,000 Nigerian soldiers to serve as peacekeepers in Africa. The Prince of Wales of the United Kingdom visited Nigeria in November 2006 and inspected soldiers in Jaji.

The college offers three programs to carry out its goal, namely:

  • Senior Course for Majors and their equivalent,
  • Junior Course for Captains and their equivalent, and
  • Staff Duties Course for Senior NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) of the 3 Services.

2. Nigerian Army’s Department of Army Logistics

The Nigerian Army’s Department of Army Logistics (DOAL) is in charge of all logistics-related issues. This department manages the Nigerian Army’s entire budget. Additionally, it oversees the Nigerian Army’s entire quartering system. The Chief of Army Logistics is in charge of the Branch (COLOG). It is located in Moloney, Lagos Island 102273, Lagos.

3. National Defence College, Abuja

About the college

The National Defense College is the top military school for the Nigerian Armed Forces and a West African Center of Excellence for Strategic Peace Support Operations Training. It was founded in 1992 to serve as Nigeria’s top military institution for senior military officer training.

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It was appropriate and economically advantageous to carry on the tradition by establishing the new strategic level military institution, the National Defence College, on a tri-service basis because the Nigerian Armed Forces had long established a strong tri-service military training heritage with the establishment of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, for cadet training, and the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, for middle-level staff training.

The former Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in the Marina, Lagos, served as the NDC’s first temporary location. The College moved to yet another temporary location at Herbert Macaulay Way (North), next to the famous International Conference Centre, in August 1995 after being relocated from Lagos to Abuja (the new Federal Capital). The permanent location is in Abuja near Piwoyi along the airport road (FCT).

On September 14, 1995, General Sani Abacha, the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s then-President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, inaugurated the NWC Course 4 to mark the College’s transfer to a new temporary location.

Plans to finally move the College to its permanent location in Piwoyi, along Airport Road, Abuja (FCT), are in the works.

College goals

The College’s goals include:

 i. Getting senior military and civilian officials ready for operational and strategic level tasks in both domestic and foreign settings.

ii. Support leadership and command activities with a solid grasp of the geographic factors impacting Nigeria, Africa, and the entire world.

iii. Gain a thorough understanding of the components of national power to help in the development of a grand national strategy.

iii. Share information on the political and strategic framework for decision-making and operations in collaborative and international settings.

4. Naval War College, Nigeria

Introduction

The Naval War College is the highest naval training institution in Nigeria. It was created to increase maritime security and the ability of navy commanders to make wise decisions in both command and management roles.

About the Naval War College

The Naval War College was established in order to address the management cadre’s identified skills, talents, and knowledge deficiencies and improve NN’s ability to respond to complex evolving maritime threats.

As a result, Nigerian Navy Order 08/17 promulgated the establishment of the college in order to train senior naval leaders and their equivalents from other Services as operational-level commanders with in-depth knowledge of national security issues and the capacity to make wise decisions regarding the use of maritime force as a policy option.

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On May 31, 2017, the NWCN was commissioned at its temporary location in Ubima Rivers State. On July 21, 2017, the College’s inaugural course began. Since its founding, it has successfully graduated two groups of students from the course on naval warfare. For officers with Lieutenant Commander and Commander ranks, the College also successfully completed the Command Level Officer’s course in January 2019.

5. Air Force War College, Nigeria

About the Air Force War College, Nigeria

The Air Force War College is Nigeria’s premier military training facility and a Center of Excellence for professional military education at the operational level.

The Air Force War College, Nigeria (AFWCN) was created to train middle cadre officers in operational planning and management for efficient use of air power.

The College prepares middle cadre officers from friendly nations and NAF officers with the rank of Wg Cdr and equivalent in sister Services for effective performance at operational levels. It also functions as a teaching facility to improve officers’ understanding of new developments in air power.

The College was founded in September 2016 to produce skilled air power personnel for the efficient execution of air operations. This is consistent with “human capacity development through robust and result-oriented training for boosting professional performance,” which is one of the main pillars of the Chief of the Air Staff’s vision.

The college, which is the highest level of professional military training in the Nigerian Air Force, is a key player in formulating strategy and doctrine for the expansion of airpower within the service.

Currently, the Air Force War College is located at NAF Base Makurdi. Its current location is temporary. However, the College Board has identified and approved the college for a permanent site that is a few kilometers away from the temporary facility.

Conclusion

Since independence, the Nigerian government has invested heavily in the development of several military post-graduate schools in the country, to create a robust human capacity, and developing skills, talents, and knowledge of officers so they can respond effectively to complex military threats in the air, sea or on land.

These post-graduate schools train officers to be equipped to make wise decisions in command and management roles. These schools have trained Nigerian officers and officers from other friendly nations.

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