Nigerian Army Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) Recruitment, 2026

;

Are you a graduate aiming to join the Nigerian Army? If yes, we are pleased to notify you that applications are ongoing for the 2026 Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) Course recruitment exercise.

TRENDING: NCDMB Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Programme for Nigerians

Applications are invited from eligible Nigerians for commission into the Nigerian Army (NA) as Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) officers. The DSSC is open to both civilians and serving military personnel into the following corps:

a. Nigerian Army Engineers.

b. Nigerian Army Signals.

c. Nigerian Army Medical Corps.

d. Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

e. Nigerian Army Education Corps.  Note that only serving military personnel sponsored to civil institutions by any of the Services of the Nigerian Armed Forces shall be considered.

This article contains all you need to know about the eligibility criteria, qualifications, and most especially, how to apply

Nigerian Army DSSC Application Course, 29/2026

Applicants are invited from eligible Nigerians to commission into the Nigerian Army (NA) as Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) officers. The application is open to both civilians and serving military personnel.

Also See: Forbes Marshall Graduate Trainee Program

Entry Requirements for Nigerian Army DSSC Recruitment

All applicants must satisfy the following conditions:

   a. Be a Nigerian as defined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

   b. Be a male or female between the ages of 20 and 32 years by 30 March 2026. Medical consultants could be between 25 and 40 years of age by 30 March 2026.

   c. Be medically, mentally and physically fit according to NA standards.

   d. Be recommended and attested to his/her good character by at least 2 recognizable referees who are either a Local Government Chairman/Secretary or an officer of the Armed Forces not below the rank of Lieutenant Colonel equivalent or an Assistant Commissioner of Police and above who must hail from the applicant's state of origin. Passport photographs of referees must be affixed to the letter of attestation.

   e. Applicants must submit a letter of Attestation from their former institutions.

   f. Measure at least 1.68m in height (for males) and 1.65m (for females).

   g. Must not have been convicted by any court of law. Military personnel applying must be free from any disciplinary case and endorsed by the applicant's Commanding Officer/Commander.

   h. Possess at least a first degree with not less than Second Class Upper Division or HND (where applicable) not less than Upper Credit from any accredited institution of learning.

   i. Possess valid birth certificate endorsed by the National Population Commission, Hospital or Local Government Council or valid age declaration.

   j. Possess a valid state of origin certificate.

   k. Applicants must possess NYSC discharge certificate or valid exemption certificate as appropriate.

   l. Graduates with professional qualifications must be duly registered by the relevant regulating bodies recognized by Nigerian Laws.

   m. Only post-secondary academic credentials obtained from 2011 to date will be considered.

   n. Applicants must present valid contact addresses and telephone numbers of parents/guardians and Next of Kin as appropriate.

   o. Candidates must not have any bodily inscriptions or tattoos.

   p. Service personnel must present valid military identity cards and letter of recommendation by their Commanding Officers/Commanders (where applicable). They must also present the valid letter(s) of Service sponsorship to tertiary institutions (where applicable). Additionally, they must have served for a period of not less than 5 years.

   q. Candidates must not belong to any cult/society/fraternity.

Corps and Services

Applications should be into any of the following Corps and Services of the NA:

   a. Nigerian Army Engineers. Applicants must possess a minimum of B.Sc Eng (Second Class Upper) degree or HND (Upper Credit) in any of the following areas: Quantity Surveying, Architecture, Building, Urban and Regional Planning, Estate Management, GIS/Survey, Geology as well as such academic fields must be registered with the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).

   b. Nigerian Army Signals. Applicants must possess a minimum of B.Sc, B.Tech, B.Engr (Second Class Upper) degree (Upper Credit) in any of the following areas: Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Software Developer, Software Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Control Security Engineering, Network Designer, Database Management Engineering Administrator, Project Manager Engineering and System Control Engineering and Satellite Communication Engineering.

   c. Nigerian Army Medical Corps. All applicants for the NA Medical Corps are expected to present proof of registration with their professional regulatory bodies and current practicing licenses. Other requirements are as follows:

      (1) Medical and Dental Consultants of Various Disciplines. Applicants could belong to fields of specialization such as General Surgery, Physicians (Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, Nephrologists, Anaesthesia, Neuro-Surgery, Ophthalmologists, ENT Surgeons, Orthopaedics, Cardiothoracic, and Gynaecologists, Paediatricians, Family Medicine, Dentistry and any other recognized specialty. Applicants must also satisfy the following criteria:

         (a) Must be Fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria or equivalent Postgraduate Medical College.

         (b) Not more than 40 years of age by 30 March 2026.

         (c) Must have full registration of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for the undergraduate degree and additional qualification registration as appropriate.

         (d) Must have current MDCN license to practice as a specialist.

      (2) Medical Doctors (Non-Consultants). Applicants must possess Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery/Bachelor of Dental Surgery for medical doctors and dental surgeons respectively and must be fully registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and possess a current practicing license.

      (3) Nurses. Applicants must be Registered Nurse and be in the following categories: Midwifery, Pediatrics, Nephrology, Orthopaedics, Anaesthetist, Psychiatry and any other recognized specialty. They must be fully registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

      (4) Nursing. Applicants must possess BSc Nursing and fully registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

      (5) Professionals Allied to Medicine. Applicants must possess a degree in either: Optometry, Environmental Health Technology, Dental Technology, Medical Laboratory Science, Clinical Psychology, General Psychology. Others are Occupational Therapy, Dental Therapy, Radiography, Physiotherapy, Health Information Management, Dietetics and any other recognized.

      (6) Pharmacists. Applicants must possess Bachelor of Pharmacy and must be fully registered with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria.

   d. Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Applicants must possess a minimum of B.Eng, BSc (Eng) (Second Class Upper) degree or HND (Upper Credit) in any of the following areas: Mechanical/Automotive Engineering, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics/Robotics Engineering, Material/Metallurgical Engineering, Industrial/Production Engineering, Physics/Electronics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Weapon Engineering, Computer/Software Engineering, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, Avionics Engineering and Systems/Avionics Engineering. Such academic fields must be registered with COREN or regulating professional bodies.

   e. Nigerian Army Education Corps. Applicants must possess a minimum of BSc (Ed) or BA (Ed) (Second Class Upper) degree or HND (Upper Credit) in any of the following areas: Mathematics, Computer Science/ICT, as well as Library and Information Science. All applicants for Education Corps are expected to present proof of registration with their professional regulatory bodies.

Also See: GIL Automation Graduate Trainee Programme

Conditions of Service

The DSSC will be granted for 15 years. DSSC officers who convert to Direct Regular Commission (DRC) can serve up to 35 years in the NA. Other service conditions include the following:

   a. The DSSC officers shall be on probation for the first 3 years of service.

   b. Conversion to DRC is not automatic but based on application by an eligible commissioned officer.

   c. All graduating officer cadets must sign an acceptance of the terms and conditions governing the DSSC before they are granted commission in the NA.

   d. The reckonable period of service for civilians that military personnel commissioned officers would be based on the date of commencement of military training while for military personnel commissioned officers would be based on the date of commencement of cadet training.

   e. Medical Consultants on successful completion of military training shall be granted the rank of Major with seniority effective from date of commission.

   f. Officer cadets who successfully complete the military training shall be granted the rank of Lieutenant (except for medical consultants) with seniority effective from date of commission.

Also See: Frutta Juice Engineering Graduate Trainee

How to Apply for the Nigerian Army Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) Recruitment

Applications are to be made online free of charge from 7 January to 4 February 2026.

   a. How to apply:

      (1) Go online and visit web page at: recruitment.army.mil.ng and choose DSSC option from the page.

      (2) You will be redirected to the page where you can read the qualification criteria for the ongoing DSSC courses.

      (3) Click on the prompt "Apply Now" button for the DSSC as per your qualification and Corps of choice.

      (4) At the prompt, you will be required to select if you are applying or have served in any of the Armed Forces.

      (5) If you do not have an account, click on "Sign Up" (a verification will be sent to your email) or enter your login details.

      (6) Fill out the form and ensure all required documents listed below are uploaded:

         (a) Passport photograph.

         (b) Educational certificates.

         (c) Evidence of membership of any professional body.

         (d) Certificate of state of origin.

         (e) Birth/BVN/NIN certificate or age declaration.

         (f) NIN/BVN certificate.

   b. Print Out. Applicants must print out their online generated slip or card on completion of their application. The first page is to be signed by the Registrar of any Court of Law while the second page is to be signed by the applicant's Local Government Chairman/Secretary or any Court of Law officer or military officer of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and above who hails from an applicant's state of origin. Successful candidates would present their printed application forms (slips or card, guarantors form, attestation form etc) to the Selection Board during interview.

Application Deadline 

All applications must be submitted online not later than 4 February 2026.

FURTHER INQUIRIES

For further inquiries, please call 08179269294 or 08109959294 between 0800 - 1800 hours (8am - 6pm) daily.

Good luck to all eligible applicants!