The Federal Government has clarified that it has no intention of introducing compulsory military service for Nigerian youths, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining a professional volunteer armed forces structure.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, made this known on Friday in Abuja during the presentation of a book titled “Serving the Nation: Exploring Mandatory Military Service for Nigerian Youths.” He was represented at the event by Col. George Usibe, Deputy Director, Special Duties.
Musa explained that while the book contributes meaningfully to national conversations on service and nation-building, it does not reflect current government policy. According to him, Nigeria’s security framework is built on a professional volunteer military system, supported by civic national service programmes.
“Our Armed Forces operate as a professional volunteer military dedicated to defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic, while supporting civil authorities in addressing internal security challenges,” he said. “This professional force is complemented by civic national service through the National Youth Service Corps, which continues to promote national integration and youth engagement across our diverse federation.”
He stressed that there is presently no policy to introduce mandatory military service in Nigeria, despite ongoing debates about security sector reforms and youth participation in national defence.
Nigeria has faced persistent security challenges in recent years, leading to calls in some quarters for expanded national service models. However, the minister noted that global experience shows that issues such as insurgency and terrorism are not determined solely by manpower models. He emphasised that effective governance, strong institutions and healthy citizen–state relations are critical to achieving sustainable security.
While ruling out compulsory service, Musa said the government remains open to scholarly research and constructive public dialogue on national service. Any future consideration, he added, must align with constitutional provisions, fiscal realities and institutional capacity.
He described Nigeria’s policy direction as pragmatic and consultative, with a focus on expanding civic service opportunities, encouraging voluntary participation and strengthening youth skills development in line with national priorities.
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Musa also suggested that innovative hybrid approaches — such as voluntary reserve participation and enhanced youth skills acquisition programmes — could further strengthen community resilience without compromising the professionalism and operational readiness of the Armed Forces.
The author of the book, Mohammed Abubakar, said countries like Finland, Israel, South Korea and Singapore have adopted mandatory military service as part of their defence systems. He revealed that a survey conducted during his research showed that 73.1 per cent of respondents supported compulsory military service, while 79.7 per cent believed it could help address insecurity.
Abubakar, however, agreed that beyond manpower, improved governance, accountability, technology and stronger institutions remain essential to effectively tackling Nigeria’s security challenges.
