N’Assembly, judiciary employees constitute military reserve force – Report

Some key employees of the National Assembly, judiciary and the Ministry of Defence are part of the Standby Reserve Force of Nigeria’s armed forces.

The inclusion of the key employees from the institutions aligns with Part 1, Section 2 of the Armed Forces Act CAP A20 LFN 2004, which mandates the establishment and maintenance of an armed forces reserve comprising officers and personnel transferred after active service.

According to the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, signed by President Bola Tinubu on December 16, 2024, the key employees could be mobilised, if necessary, to fill manpower needs in specific areas.

“The standby reserve would maintain close affiliation without being in the ready reserve. They are key civilian employees of the Ministry of Defence, National Assembly and Judiciary among others.

“Members of this group consist of a pool of trained individuals who could be mobilised, if necessary, in order to fill manpower needs in specific areas. They are not required to receive military training or be part of a unit and are basically professional volunteers,” it partly stated.

Other categories of the reserve force include the Ready Reserve Force, which comprises members of existing paramilitary organisations or professional civilians.

According to the document, the Retired Reserve is another category that consists of retired officers and discharged soldiers, ratings, or airmen who have completed their colour service.

 HATCOS stated that these groups could be readily mobilized for active military duty to meet specific operational requirements and can be deployed for any task.

“The Ready Reserve would be composed of members of existing para-military organisations. These are men and women who normally have full time employment in other para-military organisations or professional civilians. In most cases, they provide skills and expertise that are easily transferable to specialist military roles.

“The Retired Reserve would be composed of retired officers and discharged soldiers/ratings/airmen that have completed colour service. These are available and ready source of trained manpower. These groups can be readily mobilized for active military duty to meet specific operational requirements and can be deployed for any task.”

The HATCOS stated that the organisation of reserve force would be as approved by the president.