Defence minister pledges technology upgrade for Nigerian military school

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, has pledged to enhance technology at the Nigerian Military School to uphold its standards and its longstanding role in supporting the Nigerian Armed Forces and the nation since 1954.

Speaking during a courtesy visit from the leadership of the NMS Ex-Boys Association at his office on Monday, the minister stated, “The school has a proud history, and we will not allow its quality to decline. It has been a pillar of support for the Armed Forces and, by extension, the nation’s security.”

The delegation, led by the association’s national president, Dr. Sunday Ngegu, visited the minister to seek support in expanding the school’s focus to include nurturing young talent in modern defence fields, such as robotics, automation, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

“We believe that just as Nigeria’s needs evolved in the 1960s, prompting a shift in NMS’s focus, the technological demands of modern defence and national security now require a renewed focus on advancing NMS’s role in supporting Nigeria’s defence capabilities,” Ngegu said.

“In line with the Ministry of Defence’s fourth mandate to enhance the capabilities and sophistication of the country’s defence industries, thereby reducing dependence on foreign supplies, we envision the Nigerian Military School as an effective STEM incubator. This could identify and nurture young talent, growing a generation of globally competitive military manpower equipped for the needs of modern national defence.”

Ngegu added, “Achieving this will require expanding the NMS curriculum and infrastructure, creating pathways into areas such as cyber systems and warfare, automation, robotics, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence to provide technological assets to the Nigerian military and transform national defence for the next century.”

Other requests included converting long-serving temporary staff into permanent Ministry of Defence positions to improve welfare and motivation, upgrading classrooms with advanced furniture and teaching facilities, and installing solar power to mitigate the impact of unreliable grid power.

The Minister assured the delegation he would liaise with the service chiefs and relevant stakeholders to address the requests through budget allocations and policy support.

“All the requests are valid and necessary. I will do everything possible to help. You can count on my full support,” he stated