The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has said Nigerian military personnel are sacrificing their lives to protect the country, urging citizens to recognise and appreciate their efforts.

Musa also advocated military training for Nigerians, saying such training would instil discipline, endurance, teamwork and a different perspective on life.

The minister made the remarks during an interview on the African Leadership Podcast with Ken Giami, released on YouTube on Monday.

“For me, I think it’s the best. If I have my way, every Nigerian should be able to go through military training. I can tell you for free,” Musa said.

According to him, military training would help people understand what it means to endure difficult conditions and appreciate the sacrifices involved in protecting the country.

“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, that when you walk kilometres and you are tired, but you still need to keep going,” he said.

Musa, who joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a cadet in 1986 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1991, said military personnel routinely put their lives at risk for the country.

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

He expressed concern over criticism directed at military personnel, saying soldiers and other service members also have families waiting for them at home.

“Nobody’s dying now wants it to end. Everybody wants peace,” Musa said.

He added that military personnel “are fathers, they are brothers, they are sisters of people,” noting that they remain in difficult environments “whether it is rain, it is dust, it is night, it is day” to help secure the country.

“So I think they deserve some commendation,” he said.

The minister also spoke about the sacrifices made by military families, recalling that his career kept him away from his family for extended periods during the early years of his marriage.

“Like I told people, for the first 17 years of our marriage, I never spent 30 days at a stretch with my family. Never,” he said.

Musa said such prolonged absences could affect family life, particularly during the formative years of children.

“So these are the sacrifices that people make. So when you hear people saying, look, what are they doing? It’s really demoralising. And if you demoralise your troops, they can’t give you their best,” he said.

On Nigeria’s security challenges, Musa said addressing insecurity required both military and non-military approaches.

He described military action as the “kinetic” aspect of the response, while emphasising the importance of addressing social and economic conditions that contribute to insecurity.

“That’s why we say in every, dealing with insurgency, you need both working together, both the kinetic, which is about 25, 30 percent. Seventy percent is about non-kinetic,” he said.

According to him, access to food, good roads, hospitals, schools and other basic services are important components of the non-kinetic approach to security.

Musa also urged Nigerians to believe in the country and embrace patriotism, saying citizens must have a sense of commitment to Nigeria's development.

“I think the important thing is for Nigerians to believe in the country. That’s very critical,” he said.

“If you don’t love your country, you can’t defend it.”

The minister said the military would continue working towards ensuring peace and security across the country.

“We want Nigeria to be peaceful, as it used to be in the past. So we can do it, and we’re achieving that process,” Musa said.

He urged military personnel not to be discouraged, adding, “No matter what it is, they’re doing a great job, and we’re very proud of them.”