The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), on Thursday, matriculated a total number of 453 Cadets at its 75th regular course in Kaduna.

The event was the 10th matriculation of the institution in the series. It featured an oat taking by the cadets to mark their formal induction into their respective academic programmes in the prestigious and elite military institution. 

Special Guest of Honour and a former Academy Provost, NDA, Prof. S.U Andullahi urged the cadets to take their academics and military trainings seriously as both go hand in hand. He said they are complementary to each other.

He said; “It is interesting to note that cadets who excel in academics invariably excel in military training, hence the need to embrace the two line of training with all seriousness."

Prof. Abdullahi also stated that modern day warfare and military imperatives required innovative and creative minds, founded on intellectual and technical abilities. 

“Today, officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria are graduates. It is remarkable that the force now recognises the value of university education", Professor Abdullahi said. 

He also urged the cadets to remain focused, disciplined, hardworking and patient. He said the temptation to abandon their training might be high in the freshman year as they will have challenges adapting and aclamistising to their new ambience.

Commandant, NDA, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Manu Yusuf said the cadets had already commenced their military training based on a revised curriculum designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills to deal with the emerging threats confronting the Country, both internally and externally. 

He said; “In the past eight weeks, the cadets have undergone rigorous military training designed to condition them to be mentally sound and physically fit to participate in a tough regime of military training and academic education.

“They also met the basic physical fitness requirements of completing 30 push-ups in one minute, 40 sit-ups in the same period and running up to 6.4km in 35 minutes."

He also stated that the cadets would undergo a five-year training with the academic programme relapsing at the end of the fourth year.

He said that the academic orientation of the academy had been bloated to accommodate new faculties, departments and programmes which are deemed relevant to the growth of the Country's Armed Forces. He also warned that the NDA has a zero tolerance for complacency, indiscipline, exammination malpractice and all forms of crude brutality.

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