The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim has advocated the teaching of military history in conventional Universities in Nigeria.
He made the submission in a lecture titled: “Military History and the Relevance of Strategic Leadership: Challenges and Prospects”, which was delivered to members of the National Defence College Course 30 in Abuja.
Ibrahim, who explained that military history had only gained wider recognition in the military institutions and Defence Academies, added that its non-availability as a branch of history in the conventional Universities might be partly due to its misconception as the study of warfare and relics of war alone, and partly because of its newness in history.
The Director-General highlighted benefits of military history, amongst which are the provision of blueprint and context that would help leaders to make informed decisions.
“Military history is a veritable instrument of peaceful co-existence if properly handled or reconstructed.
The gory images of war in the past can make people to toe the line of caution knowing fully well that the repercussion of war is destruction,” he said.
Ibrahim recommended several measures that should be considered in mainstreaming the study and application of military history in the leadership and strategic thinking processes, amongst which are prioritization of the teaching of History, particularly Military History, in all military schools and research centres as well as employment of the services of professional historians and bodies like the Historical Society of Nigeria to document the military as an institution.
Commenting on behalf of the Commandant, National Defence College, Rear Admiral MM Bashir, the Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies, Major General EV Onumajuru, thanked the Director-General for sparing time to deliver the lecture despite his tight official schedule, adding that he had done justice to the topic.