The Abuja Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised concerns over what it described as religious imbalance in the 2026 Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 78 Regular Course (78RC) admission list, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order an immediate review of the list.
MURIC alleged that its preliminary analysis of the successful candidates revealed disparities in the admission of Muslims and Christians across several states, raising concerns about fairness, balance and adherence to the Federal Character principle.
The group, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Ustaz Yunus Salahudeen, and Public Relations Officer, Lukman Babalola Laleye, on Thursday, also questioned the religious composition of officers overseeing the NDA admission process.
According to MURIC, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Chairman of the NDA Selection Board, Commandant of the NDA, NDA Registrar and NDA Provost are all Christians.
It said the composition of the hierarchy overseeing the admission process raised “legitimate concerns about balance, fairness, objectivity and adherence to the Federal Character principle enshrined in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution.”
MURIC cited several examples from its preliminary state-by-state analysis, including Adamawa, where it claimed six of the 10 successful candidates were Christians and all three reserves were Christians.
It also alleged that Benue had only one Muslim among 10 candidates, with all three reserves being Christians, while Ebonyi had only one Muslim who was placed on the reserve list.
The group further claimed that all successful candidates and three reserves from Edo were Christians, while Ondo had no Muslim among its 13 admitted candidates, including reserves.
MURIC also cited disparities in other states, including Ekiti, the FCT, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau and Taraba.
The organisation said the figures warranted greater transparency from the NDA on how candidates were selected and allocated across states.
It therefore called on President Tinubu to immediately intervene and direct a review of the 78RC admission list to ensure fairness and balance.
MURIC also urged the Federal Government to reconstitute key admission and appointment positions in the NDA to better reflect Nigeria’s religious and ethnic diversity.
The group further demanded that the NDA publish the criteria used in selecting the candidates, including cut-off marks and the quota allocated to each state.
MURIC expressed confidence that the Presidency would act promptly to promote unity, equity and national cohesion.
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