The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has recomended that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme need to play a greater role in preparing Nigerian graduates with unarmed combat and self-defence techniques as part of essential survival training in today’s insecure world. “That is what the NYSC was originally designed to do, but unfortunately, it has been reduced to just three weeks.”
He explained that the NYSC have need to restore its purpose by teaching vital survival skills such as unarmed combat, swimming, driving, and basic security awareness.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, General Musa stressed on Nigerians to acquire basic self-defence training to other fundamental life skills such as driving and swimming, stressing that it should be considered a necessity rather than an option.
“Learning combat skills should be taken just like learning how to drive or swim. Whether there is war or not, it is a survival instinct. In Europe, swimming is compulsory. Security awareness should also be compulsory because everyone must understand what security means,” he said.
General Musa warned that the world has become increasingly dangerous, with individuals who deliberately cause harm, making self-defence and vigilance a national priority.
He urged Nigerians to take personal security seriously and remain situationally aware in their communities in order to identify and report suspicious activities.
