The Federal Government has refuted claims that it plans to introduce compulsory military service for Nigerian youths, affirming that the country will retain its professional volunteer armed forces structure.
The clarification was made on Friday in Abuja by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd), during the presentation of a book titled “Serving the Nation: Exploring Mandatory Military Service for Nigerian Youths.” Musa, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Director, Special Duties, Col. George Usibe, described the reports as unfounded.
He explained that Nigeria’s defence framework is anchored on a professional volunteer military tasked with safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while also supporting civil authorities in tackling internal security threats.
According to the minister, although some countries operate mandatory military service as part of their defence systems, many others rely on volunteer forces strengthened by civic national service schemes, reserve structures and community-based preparedness programmes.
Musa noted that Nigeria falls within the latter category, with its Armed Forces complemented by civic national service initiatives, particularly the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which he said continues to foster national integration and youth engagement across the federation.
“It is therefore important to state clearly that there is presently no policy to introduce mandatory military service in Nigeria,” he said.
He further stressed that global security challenges such as insurgency and terrorism cannot be resolved solely through increased manpower. Instead, he said, sustainable security depends on effective governance, strong institutions and healthy citizen–state relations.
While ruling out compulsory military training, the minister said the Federal Government remains receptive to academic contributions and constructive public debate on issues relating to national service. He maintained that any potential policy shift in the future would have to align with constitutional provisions, economic considerations and the country’s institutional capacity.
Musa described the publication presented at the event as a valuable contribution to evidence-based discourse on matters of strategic national importance.
