The Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) is the training school of the Nigerian Armed forces.
The Nigerian Armed forces is a body that houses three forces.
These forces are the Nigerian Army force, the Nigerian Air force, and the Nigerian Naval Force. Each force in the Nigerian armed force is split into two, the commissioned officers and the non commissioned officers.
As an individual that passes through the Nigerian defence academy, you will become a commissioned officer.
The ranks of the Nigerian (See all ranks in the Nigerian Army and how much money they earn) armed forces are shared into three groups.
- Junior officers
- Field/senior officers
- General/Flag officers.
There are about three ranks obtained in the junior officer’s section, three in the Field/senior officers section, and 5 in the General/Flag officers sections. The ranks mean the same across all forces but the names are different and specific to each of the forces.
Most popular ranks that NDA graduates attain after their graduation
After graduating from the Nigerian Defense Academy, the graduates are offered ranks. These ranks are different in names and duties but are the same in reputation and class.
If you are graduating as a member of the Nigerian Army Force, you will be awarded the rank of Second Lieutenant. If you graduating as a member of the Nigerian Air Force, you will be awarded the rank of Pilot Officer. If you graduating as a member of the Nigerian Naval Force, you will be awarded the rank of MidShipman.
How many years of study does it take to attain this rank?
The duration for reaching the first rank of any of the forces is five years.
These ranks are Second Lieutenant for the Army force, Pilot Officer for the Air force, and MidShip for the Naval Force.
The five years comprises four years of academic studies and one year of military training. This study and training are called the Regular Combatant course (RC).
Once a student is done after five years, he is awarded a bachelor degree, and a presidential commission to the rank of the second lieutenant in the Army force, Pilot Officer for the Air force, and MidShip for the Naval Force.
What type of studies and training they do
The academic section of the Nigerian Defence Academy is divided into five faculties. These faculty are
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Art and Social Science
- Faculty of Military Science
- Faculty of Management Science
The faculty of engineering has (4) departments, they are
- Department of Civil Engineering
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering(Check out the top 7 low key firms where electrical engineers can work in Nigeria)(Check out the top 7 low key firms where electrical engineers can work in Nigeria)
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Department of Mechatronic Engineering
The faculty of Science has (5) departments, they are
- Department of Biotechnology
- Department of Biological Science
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Physics
- Department of Chemistry
The faculty of Military Science
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Intelligence and Security Studies
The Faculty of Management Sciences has three (4) Departments, they are
- Department of Accounting.
- Department of Economics.
- Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
- Department of Management Studies.
Note: Pls note that this list might change with time as NDA might remove a department or introduce a new one.
After four years of academic studies, you will now undergo one year of military training in the force you choose. This means if you choose the Naval force, you undergo a one-year training under the Nigeria Naval (What to learn about Naval recruit? Click here) force, this is the same for the Army force and the Air force. After this training, you will be able to graduate from the Nigeria Defense Academy and will be awarded a rank.
Qualification/requirement needed to be recruited into the lowest rank in the NDA.
The lowest rank in NDA is the rank given after you have completed your 5 years of training in the NDA. These ranks are second lieutenant, pilot officer, and MidShipMan. The requirement to get any of these ranks is
- You need a bachelors degree. You can obtain this from the 4 years of academic training you will receive from that Nigerian defence Academy. If you already have a degree from another university, you enrol in the Nigerian defence academy short service.
- You fall within the age limit of 19 -32
- You must have undergone and completed the basic combat training.
- You must have gone through the required training by the force you choose.
What is the salary you are expected to earn for this rank
The salary for the ranks varies according to the force. The beginning ranks are for an officer of the Nigerian armed force are
- Second lieutenant for the Army force.
- Pilot Officer for the Air force
- MidShipMan for the Naval force.
The salary given to each of these ranks are
- The second lieutenant for the Army force earn N2,160,000 per year
- Pilot Officer for the Air force is N2,245,908 per year
- MidShipMan for the Naval force (They is no confirmed info on this).
Other benefits like pension, housing healthcare
Pensions are given to officers who have served for 15 years and above.
If you retire after 15 years of service you will be given 40% of your emoluments.
For 20 years it is 50% , for 30 years, it is 70% and for 35 years which is the highest, you will be given 80% of your emoluments.
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