Nigeria needs citizens with character, not just soldiers with weapons – Marwa

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, has urged Nigerians to uphold discipline, loyalty and resilience in confronting the nation’s challenges.

Marwa made the call in Abuja on Saturday night at the 38th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Military School (NMS) Class of 1982.

Speaking as a proud alumnus, he recalled his own days in Zaria, describing NMS as a crucible where boys were moulded into men with values that have endured a lifetime.

“At NMS, no one asked who your father was, what language you spoke, or what faith you professed. We were bound by brotherhood and a common destiny as Nigerians,” he said.

Marwa hailed the Class of 1982 for producing two serving Service Chiefs, the Naval Chief, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and the Air Chief, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, calling it a historic achievement.

He praised the set’s contributions to their alma mater, noting that their projects symbolised gratitude and enduring loyalty.

“Our country today needs more than soldiers with weapons. She needs citizens with character — men and women armed with courage, loyalty, discipline and resilience,” he said.

Marwa congratulated the NMS 82 set on their 38-year milestone and urged them to continue serving, giving back, and inspiring the next generation.

In his remarks, a leadership expert and motivational speaker, Mr Fela Durotoye, charged members of the NMS Class of 82 to live up to the values of discipline, knowledge, and patriotism that shaped them in Zaria.

Durotoye drew parallels between the alumni and Africa’s liberation leaders of the 1940s, who fought for independence without titles or wealth.

“In 1945, seventy-nine young Africans, most in their thirties, gathered in Manchester with nothing but conviction.

“Without firing a shot, they toppled colonialism. That is why history calls them the Great Generation,” he said.

Durotoye told the Class of ’82 that greatness was not about what they held in their hands, but what they carried in their hearts.

“Our generation must do for the next generation what the Great Generation did for us, we must create value, and we must instill values,” he declared.

Durotoye commended the alumni’s ten pledges adopted earlier in the day, which included commitments to integrity, excellence, respect, and building a lasting legacy.

President of the NMS 82 Alumni Association, retired Lt.-Cdre. Jim Bent, said the reunion was a celebration of enduring bonds of friendship and reaffirmation of commitment to national service.

Bent said the Zaria-based institution moulded boys into men of character, discipline and resilience.

According to him, NMS is not just a school; it is a crucible where values are etched into our bones. Brotherhood for life is what has carried us to this day.

He recalled humorous moments of their school days from midnight adventures to clashes among mates, stressing that even in rivalry, they remained brothers united by discipline and shared experience.

Bent noted that the set had produced achievers in business, government and the armed forces, including two serving Service Chiefs, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar.

“Our story is still being written. The challenges of our nation call on us, the alumni of NMS, to stand up and be counted.

“Class of ’82, we are those men in the arena. From boys to men, from cadets to leaders, we have dared greatly and we continue to do so,” he said.

The event drew members from within and outside Nigeria, including the UK, Canada, and South Africa.

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