President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Commends NDC as College Graduates Course 33 Participants
The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has commended the National Defence College (NDC) for its remarkable achievements in sustaining universal values of strategic military education and contributing to Nigeria’s security and development.
President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, gave the commendation on Friday, 22 August 2025, during the graduation ceremony of Course 33 at the College in Abuja. He described the NDC as Nigeria’s highest strategic training institution, equipping participants with knowledge and skills in national security, military and theatre strategy, joint planning, inter-agency and multinational operations, and strategic integration.
“I am pleased that since its inception in 1992, the College has steadfastly adhered to its mandate of producing strategic leaders for the Armed Forces, key Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as for friendly nations,” the President stated. He further praised the College’s management for expanding infrastructure at its permanent site in Piwoyi and developing a broad-based, fit-for-purpose curriculum that prepares 21st-century officers to address complex national and international security challenges. He assured continued government support, particularly towards the speedy completion of the permanent site.
In his welcome address, the Commandant of NDC, Rear Admiral James Okosun, disclosed that 99 participants successfully completed the eleven-month programme, out of the 100 who commenced in September 2024.
The graduates included: 25 officers from the Nigerian Army, 16 from the Nigerian Navy, 12 from the Nigerian Air Force, 5 from the Nigeria Police Force, 18 from MDAs, 23 international participants from 19 countries, including Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, among others.
Rear Admiral Okosun explained that the programme was delivered through nine modules covering areas such as strategic leadership, research methodology, policy analysis, crisis simulations, and defence management.
“This year’s crisis simulation exercise examined critical national challenges such as banditry in the North-West, separatist agitations in the South-East, and oil theft in the Niger Delta. The participants also produced a group research paper titled Connecting Indigenous Manufacturing for National Security and Development: Strategic Options for Nigeria by 2040, which has been presented to relevant authorities,” he said.
He stressed that the mix of lectures, seminars, study tours, and research projects provided participants with both intellectual depth and practical skills for national, regional, and global security leadership. The Commandant also underscored the value of international participation, noting that it enriched discourse and strengthened enduring bonds across nations.
The graduation ceremony was the high point of a week-long programme of events that included: a Graduation Lecture delivered by former President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo; a Graduation Dinner at the College premises; The National Defence College Officers’ Wives Association (NDOWA) Seminar at Abacha Hall.
Highlights of the ceremony featured the award of Fellowships of the Defence College (fdc) to participants, presentation of certificates to graduates, awards of excellence for outstanding research, and the unveiling of Strategic Lenses Series 9 by Vice President Shettima.
Rear Admiral Okosun congratulated the participants, urging them to deploy their training towards solving contemporary security challenges and contributing meaningfully to their nations. “You have earned the distinguished title of Fellows of the Defence College. As we often say, you are now well equipped to take on the world,” he declared.
