Nigeria warned against religious quotas at military academy — Premium Times Nigeria
In Nigeria, the Christian organization Gospel Reggae Team Initiative (GRTI) called for admission to the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna not to be assessed primarily through the lens of candidates’ religious affiliation. The statement came after the Abuja chapter of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) alleged a religious imbalance in the list of admitted students for the academy’s 78th regular course.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, MURIC drew attention to the ratio of Muslims and Christians among admitted candidates in different states. The chapter’s chairman, Ustaz Salahuddin, also claimed that all key officials overseeing the admission process are Christians. In his view, this raises questions about fairness, impartiality and compliance with the constitutional principle of federal character.
Admission criteria
GRTI founder and coordinator Lucy Awe said that viewing admission to the country’s leading military educational institution through an opposition between Christianity and Islam is alarming. The organization stressed that concerns about the admission procedure should be considered on the basis of objective criteria, evidence, laws and rules, rather than religious assumptions.
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Odo Okeniodo, a trustee of the initiative, said that the academy is neither a Christian nor a Muslim institution, but belongs to Nigeria. According to him, military selection should primarily take into account candidates’ compliance with established requirements, their competence, character, discipline and readiness to serve the state.
Appeal to state institutions
GRTI cautioned against attempts to establish religious proportions among candidates from states and to draw conclusions about the fairness of selection primarily from their religion. The organization acknowledged the importance of fair representation principles, but said they should not require a set religious ratio in every state institution.
The group proposed examining the published admission criteria and passing scores, the consistency of applying requirements to candidates, equal treatment of them, and possible violations of legislation or recruitment rules. It also appealed to the State Security Service and other relevant institutions to remain vigilant and, where necessary, help encourage restraint in public comments that may intensify religious tensions around sensitive state processes.
