Military Professionalism: Training and Education in Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to renew the study into military professions and the concept of military professionalism through the examination and analysis of one aspect of the traditionally accepted model - the processes of education and training which are employed to prepare novices for professional membership. While it has been accepted that one characteristic of the military profession is that its members have been educated, trained and indoctrinated with a unique set of skills, knowledge and attitudes. Firstly, is it good to understand how this process is achieved? Secondly, what is the process that transforms the civilian layman into a military professional? Research into this aspect of the military profession as a social institution has been negligible in Nigeria. Although the armed forces have been perceived to be one of the most "professionals in the world today, little, if any, study has been directed to understanding why or how this should be so. Therefore, this article offers an arguably long overdue analysis of officer education and training as a constituent part of the military profession and the concept of military professionalism. The base of the study is broad so as to permit the examination of officer training establishments of the three principal forces of the military profession in Nigeria.