The Director, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Major General Edward Buba, has explained that the purpose of es­tablishing the School of Islamic Affairs is to develop and build the capacity of military men.

General Buba gave the explanation on Thursday at the joint Press Briefing by the Strategic Communication In­teragency Policy Committee which took place at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

While answering questions on the viral photo of the Nige­rian Army School of Islamic Affairs which attracted a lot of reactions from members of the public who questioned the existence of such school in the Nigerian military, General Buba justified the establish­ment of the School of Islamic Affairs by the military.

He said, “Life is spiritual and being military men does not make them less spiritually inclined.”

Furthermore, Buba said, “The military does not only have the School of Islamic Affairs; we also have the Chap­laincy School. Being military men does not make us not to be spiritually inclined.

“They say that life is spiritu­al. Things start from the spiri­tual before we see them in the physical. We in the military are also aware of that. So, we pray according to our religion, be it Christian or Islam.

“And what is the purpose of a school? It is to develop and build capacity. If you want somebody to go and preach to others, he should know what he is preaching about. He should be able to read the scriptures from one point to the other in whatever religion he practises, so that he can communicate that breakdown to the troops and build their faith.

“I believe that answers the question, why is the military operating a School of Islamic Affairs.”

Meanwhile, checks by Saturday Independent showed that the Chaplaincy of the Nigerian Army is a reli­gious institution that renders spiritual, moral, and psycho­logical support services to mil­itary personnel in their service to the nation.

It has three units with differ­ent religious identities, namely Catholic, Protestant, and Islam­ic Affairs. Since the commence­ment of the Army, services of the clergy for the soldiers have been required at both the bar­racks and on the battlefield as well as services for their fami­lies at the barracks.

However, this was never formalised until the situation demanded a religious institu­tional structure to serve the military more effectively.

However, Saturday Independent’s investigation confirmed that the Nigerian Army School of Islamic Affairs is for troops and is intended to educate them spiritually. The school offers education in var­ious areas, including Islamic Studies, Arabic and Islamic Studies, LLB Sharia, Islamic Theology, Qur’anic Science, Hadith Sciences, Qur’anic Ex­egesis, Islamic Jurisprudence and Comparative Religious Studies and is managed by the Nigerian Army Council.

It is open to eligible Nigeri­ans who can apply through the Nigerian Army website and must be able to speak Arabic and English languages. The ap­plication for the 2024 academic year closed on February 23, 2024.