NDA Admission: Group Warns Against Religious Bias in Recruitment

A group called Gospel Reggae Team Initiative (GRTI) is worried about a statement from the Abuja Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). They claimed there is religious imbalance in the recent admission list for the 78 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna.

MURIC criticized what it called a clear religious imbalance in the 2026 NDA 78 Regular Course admission list released recently.

The Islamic group, in a statement from its Chairman, Ustaz Salahudeen, pointed out concerns about the admission committee's makeup and the ratio of Muslims and Christians admitted from each state.

Mr Salahudeen said all the key officers involved in the admission process share the same faith. He named the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Chairman of the NDA Selection Board, the Commandant of NDA, the NDA Registrar, and the NDA Provost as all being Christians.

He stated that this unbalanced leadership raises serious concerns about fairness, objectivity, and following the Federal Character principle in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution.

In response, GRTI released a statement on Tuesday from its Founder/Coordinator, Lucy Awe. She said viewing NDA admissions mainly through the lens of religion is troubling for a Christian body that believes in Nigeria's unity.

“As Christians who believe deeply in the unity, peace and sovereignty of Nigeria, we find the attempt to assess admission into Nigeria’s premier military training institution primarily through the lens of Christianity and Islam deeply troubling,” the statement said.

The group urged the State Security Service (also known as Department of State Services) and other relevant public institutions to stay alert. They encouraged restraint in public comments that could create unnecessary religious tension during sensitive national processes.

GRTI explained that its position is not meant to stop anyone from raising valid concerns about the admission process. However, such issues should be assessed based on objective criteria, evidence, and existing laws, not religious beliefs.

One of GRTI's trustees, Odoh Okenyodo, said, “The Nigerian Defence Academy is not a Christian institution. It is not a Muslim institution. It belongs to Nigeria. Its responsibility is to train Nigerians who will serve the Nigerian state, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity, region or social background.

“The fundamental questions in military recruitment should therefore be whether candidates meet the established requirements and demonstrate the competence, character, discipline and commitment necessary to serve Nigeria.”

GRTI is particularly worried about efforts to set religious ratios for candidates admitted from different states. They question the fairness of reducing the NDA admission process to a Christian-Muslim count.

“Federal character and equitable representation are important constitutional principles. However, these principles should not be interpreted as requiring every government institution to reproduce a particular religious ratio.

“There is a fundamental difference between ensuring equitable representation across Nigeria’s diverse communities and allocating opportunities according to religious identity.

“The latter could create an unhealthy precedent in which competence and qualification gradually become secondary to religious considerations,” they stated.

The group noted that bringing religious considerations into government appointments, recruitment, and admissions needs careful thought.

They argued that if this practice continues, it could pressure government institutions to focus on religious identity instead of competence, integrity, and national loyalty.

According to GRTI, this is especially delicate when it comes to the military and security institutions.

“Nigeria needs security personnel whose primary allegiance is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its Constitution, rather than to religious, ethnic or sectional interests.

“We therefore encourage all stakeholders to approach matters concerning security-sector recruitment with a strong sense of responsibility and patriotism,” they added.

If there are valid concerns about the NDA admission process, GRTI believes the key questions are clear: What were the published admission criteria? What were the applicable cut-off marks? Were the criteria applied fairly? Were candidates treated equally? And was there any violation of recruitment policy?

As a Christian organization, GRTI is calling for restraint “because we believe Christianity does not require Christians to demand religious quotas in every Nigerian institution. We equally reject any expectation that Muslims should receive preferential treatment simply because they are Muslims.”