The Nigerian Army, the land warfare branch of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, has formally announced the opening of applications for the Direct Short Service Commission Course 29/2026, offering qualified Nigerians an opportunity to be commissioned as officers in specialised military units.
The announcement was made public on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, through an official statement released via the Nigerian Army’s verified account on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to the military authority, the recruitment exercise is open to both civilians and serving military personnel who possess relevant professional and technical qualifications required by the Army.
Okay News reports that the Direct Short Service Commission programme is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s defence architecture by integrating skilled professionals into non-combat and technical corps where their expertise can directly support national security operations and institutional capacity building.
Successful applicants will be commissioned into specialised departments of the Nigerian Army, depending on their academic background, professional certification, and operational needs of the service. These departments play critical roles in engineering, communication, medical services, mechanical support, and military education.
Providing details of the available postings, the Army stated:
“The available corps include the Nigerian Army Engineers, Nigerian Army Signals, Nigerian Army Medical Corps, Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and the Nigerian Army Education Corps.”
The statement further clarified that the application process comes at no financial cost to applicants and will be conducted exclusively through an online portal. The recruitment window is scheduled to run from Wednesday, 7 January 2026, to Wednesday, 4 February 2026.
“Applications are free of charge and must be completed online. The application portal will be open from January 7 to February 4 2026,” the Army stated.
Prospective candidates were strongly advised to submit their applications early and ensure that all required personal, academic, and professional information is accurately provided to avoid disqualification during screening.
“For further inquiries, applicants can contact the Nigerian Army recruitment help lines on 08179269294 or 08109959294 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily. Additional details and application guidelines are available on the official recruitment website at recruitment.army.mil.ng,” the statement added.
The Nigerian Army also encouraged qualified Nigerians with strong professional backgrounds to seize the opportunity to contribute directly to national service, security stability, and institutional development through military leadership.
