Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), has called for every Nigerian to undergo military training, saying the experience would give citizens a deeper understanding of life, endurance and the sacrifices involved in protecting the country.

Musa made the call while speaking on the African Leadership Podcast with Ken Giami.

The former Chief of Defence Staff said military training exposes participants to hunger, exhaustion, physical strain and other difficult conditions, helping them appreciate the demands faced by members of the Armed Forces.

“Every Nigerian should be able to go through military training. I can tell you for free, it will give you a different perspective about life. You will now understand what it means to stay hungry, what it means to walk in days without sleep.

“It will show you what endurance means, when you walk kilometers 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.

“Just like what the Bible says that there’s no greater friend than he who will give his life for his friend.

“And that’s exactly what the military men are doing, putting their lives at stake for their country to move around. And so that’s why sometimes it’s very painful when you see people insulting the military and telling them they don’t need it or we don’t want this to end. Nobody’s dying now, and they don’t want it to end,” he said.

Musa said such training would also help Nigerians better appreciate the physical and psychological demands military personnel endure while operating under difficult conditions to protect the nation.