Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, alongside the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, joined senior government officials and service chiefs for the combined passing out parade of newly commissioned military officers on Saturday, 26 September 2026.
The graduation ceremony, held at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna, marked the official commissioning of officer cadets into the active ranks of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The event brought together multiple officer training intakes, celebrating the completion of rigorous tactical, academic, and military instruction across different commissioning streams:
- 73 Regular Course: Regular cadet officers entering full-time service careers across the Armed Forces.
- Short Service Course 49 (Army): Newly commissioned army operational personnel entering through accelerated combat training modules.
- Direct Short Service Course 34 (Air Force): Specialist medical, engineering, and technical officers commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force.
- Branch Commission Course 3 (Air Force): Senior non-commissioned officers elevated to the officer cadre following distinguished service.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented President Bola Tinubu as the Special Guest of Honour and Reviewing Officer for the parade.
Delivering the presidential address on behalf of President Tinubu, Speaker Abbas commended the newly commissioned officers for their discipline and resilience. He urged them to uphold absolute professional integrity, inter-service synergy, and loyalty to the constitution as they deploy to bolster ongoing counter-terrorism, anti-banditry, and internal security operations nationwide.
The ceremony featured traditional slow and quick-march drills, the formal presentation of commissions, and the awarding of prizes to top-performing cadets before the newly minted officers were posted to operational units across the army and air force.
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