The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Tuesday said it has not stopped the inclusion of female in its cadet training – amid reports making the round on the media that the military has proscribed the enrolment and training of female cadets.
According to the Director of Defence Information, Major General, John Enenche, who issued the denial in a statement, the report was disingenuous and meant to misinform the public.
The Punch had earlier said that President Muhamadu Buhati had ratified the National Defence Policy 2017 (Revised); Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service Officers 2017, which might put an end to the admission of female cadets into the combatant course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
The news outfit also said the recommendation to end the programme was made by the Armed Forces Council which was inaugurated by the President last week.
According to the newspaper, Recommendation 19 of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, read:
“Phase out the training of female regular combatant cadets.”
However, in a statement of denial, Enechie said:
“The attention of the Defence Headquarters has been drawn to a news being spread in the print and online Media about stoppage of training female cadets in order to be commissioned as Regular Combatant officers into the Armed Forces of Nigeria. This is an act of disinformation to the general public by mischievous individuals. The contents of all those publications are ill intended concoctions, not authentic and should therefore be disregarded outrightly.
“Extantly, the provision in the terms and conditions of service for female officers of the Nigerian Military is that ‘They are eligible for all the types of Commission that are grantable to their male counterparts’, which has not changed.
“This is for tile information of the general public and female Nigerians in particular.”
