The Beginning – Joining the Nigerian Military Heading: My Journey Begins: Joining the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC)

On December 10, 1962, my military career started at the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) in Kaduna. I arrived the day before, joining classmates from Bida Provincial Secondary School: Garba Duba, Sani Sami, Sani Bello, Mohammed Magoro, Gado Nasko, and Mamman Vatsa. Sixty of us, from all over the country, began our basic military training as Course Six members. Founded in April 1960 by Prime Minister Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the NMTC, formerly the British-run Royal Military Forces Training College
RMFTC), aimed to train Nigerians to lead a future independent Nigerian Army. The goal was to provide basic infantry officer training before sending us abroad for further education.

The NMTC’s first cadets, including notable figures like Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, Samuel Ogbemudia, and Julius Alani Akinrinade, entered in March 1960. Four years later, it became the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), modeled after India’s joint defense service training institute. Many of our early trainers were Indian Army officers, with Brigadier M. R. Verma as the first Commandant.

Today, the NDA is a full-fledged academy offering degrees and postgraduate programs, staffed entirely by Nigerians. It has also been training foreign militaries since 1981.

Source: myjourneyinservice