Chapter 04 of 17

Joining the Military

Encouraged by the late Minister of Defence Muhammed Ribadu, Shehu Yar'Adua pursued a career in the Nigerian Army. He began his journey in 1962 at the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna before being selected as one of five candidates to attend the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and later Camberley in the United Kingdom. Upon returning home, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1964 and posted to the 1st Battalion in Enugu. He later advanced his military education by completing officer's training at the Command and Staff College in Quetta, Pakistan, in December 1973. His distinguished service culminated on September 29, 1979, when Head of State Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).