CDS Musa Charges Citizens to Learn Combat Skills for Self-Defence
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has advised Nigerians to acquire basic combat and self-defence skills as a means of survival in today’s increasingly insecure environment.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Musa likened learning martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo to other essential life skills like swimming and driving, stressing that such training should no longer be considered optional.
“Learning combat skills should be seen as a survival instinct, like swimming or driving,” he said. “It is important whether or not a country is at war.”
The CDS explained that in some parts of the world, especially in Europe, swimming is made compulsory, while security awareness is also taught as a necessary life skill. He suggested that Nigeria adopt similar measures.
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Musa particularly recommended that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme incorporate unarmed combat and self-defence training into its curriculum, arguing that it would better prepare Nigerian youths to deal with emerging threats.
“The NYSC has been reduced to three weeks, but it should focus on training youths in self-defence,” he said, lamenting the limited scope of the current programme.
According to him, Nigerians must also cultivate situational awareness and practical survival skills like driving and swimming to be better equipped against unforeseen dangers.
“Self-defence is very important—unarmed combat, swimming, driving. These are critical for human endeavours. We should never take them for granted because they prepare us for the future. The world we live in is dangerous, with individuals who do not mean well and sometimes kill for no reason,” he cautioned.
General Musa further urged citizens to take personal responsibility for their safety by remaining vigilant and promptly reporting suspicious activities around them.
By PRNigeria
