The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has called for every Nigerian to undergo military training to gain a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and challenges involved in protecting the country.

Musa made the proposal during an appearance on the African Leadership Podcast with Ken Giami, released on Monday.

The minister said military training would expose citizens to the physical and psychological demands faced by personnel, including hunger, exhaustion, sleep deprivation and prolonged physical exertion.

According to him, such experiences would give Nigerians a better appreciation of the responsibilities involved in national defence.

“Every Nigerian should be able to go through military training. It will give you a different perspective about life. You will now understand what it means to stay hungry and what it means to work in days without sleep,” Musa said.

He added that military training would teach participants the meaning of endurance and sacrifice.

“It will show you what endurance means when you walk kilometres and you are tired but you still need to keep on going. You have not eaten; you have not taken one because of the nature of the thing and because you are doing it to protect,” he said.

Musa said the sacrifices made by military personnel could be likened to the biblical principle of laying down one’s life for others.

“And that’s exactly what the military men are doing, putting their lives at stake for their country to move around,” he said.

The former Chief of Defence Staff also appealed to Nigerians to recognise that soldiers have families and loved ones they leave behind while carrying out their duties.

He said it was painful when military personnel were insulted or criticised by members of the public who failed to appreciate the conditions under which they operate.

“Everybody wants peace, and that is important, so we want them to understand soldiers are fathers, brothers and sisters of people. They’ve families they’ve left behind, staying in the weather, rain, dust, night or day, staying there to ensure the country is secured,” Musa said.

The minister also attributed increased infiltration along Nigeria’s borders to the withdrawal of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali from the regional bloc, saying the development had created additional security challenges.

He added that Nigeria was strengthening bilateral security relationships with neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, to improve security along the country’s southern borders.