In a major legislative push to address persistent insecurity and modernise Nigeria’s defence structure, the House of Representatives has commenced a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s military laws. ​Opening a two-day public hearing organized by the House Committee on Defence, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas declared that “the old ways have not fully worked,” signaling a decisive shift toward sweeping institutional reforms.
At the heart of the legislative push is a groundbreaking bill to completely repeal the decades-old Armed Forces Act and replace it with a modernized legal framework. ​Sponsored to align Nigeria’s military with international best practices and contemporary security demands, the new legislative package targets several critical areas of defence administration:
The bill aims to clearly streamline command lines, explicitly reinforcing the constitutional authority of the President as Commander-in-Chief while granting the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) broader supervisory powers to ensure seamless operational coordination among the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Moving away from frameworks rooted in 1960s military decrees, the proposed changes seek to strengthen democratic accountability, deepen civilian oversight, and bring military discipline systems into harmony with constitutional rights.
Lawmakers are prioritizing aggressive upgrades to healthcare, professional military education, and robust support frameworks for veterans. Among the legislative bundle is an innovative proposal to establish an Armed Forces Farms and Ranches Scheme to boost food security in conflict-prone areas, alongside structural amendments to improve gender inclusion within the rank and file.
​The legislative push follows a concurrent, urgent motion adopted by the Green Chamber to halt the Nigerian Army’s controversial policy of automatically merging pre-commission service years with commissioned officer years. ​Lawmakers strongly warned that the current practice is forcing highly experienced personnel into premature retirement, exacerbating manpower shortages amid active security campaigns.
The House urged the Armed Forces Council to immediately review and harmonize these regulations across all service branches, making such service mergers optional and retroactive application strictly prohibited. ​
Speaking on behalf of the committee, Chairman Babajimi Benson emphasized that the public hearing is a crucial democratic vehicle designed to ensure stakeholder engagement actively shapes final policy. ​
As the House Committee on Defence begins processing the extensive feedback from military officials, legal experts, and civil society, the National Assembly looks poised to deliver the most significant legislative restructuring of Nigeria’s military governance since the return to civilian democracy.
