by This is to inform the general public that the online application for Nigeria Army Direct Short Service Commission Course Recruitment 26/2026 has commenced. The DSSC portal provides for both Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) Course 26/2026 and Short Service Combatant (SSC). You are advised to read and understand the types of commission before proceeding to apply.
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 and Services:
Available Areas:
- Nigerian Army Engineers
- Nigerian Army Signals
- Nigerian Army Medical Corps
- Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Nigerian Army Education Corps
CORPS AND SERVICES
Applications should be into any of the following Corps and Services of the NA:
General Requirements
- Be a Nigerian as defined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
- Be male or female between the ages of 20 and 32 years by 30 March 2026.
- Medical consultants could be between 25 – 40 years by 30 March 2026.
- Be medically, mentally and physically fit according to NA standards.
- Be recommended and attested to by at least two (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 or equivalent or an Assistant Commissioner of Police and above who must have known the applicant for at least 5 years.
- Passport photographs of referees must be affixed to the letter of attestation.
- Applicants must submit a letter of Attestation from their former institutions.
- Measure in height at least 1.68m (for males) and 1.65m (for females)
- 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.
- Possess at least a first degree with not less than Second Class Upper Division or HND (Upper Credit) from any accredited institution of learning.
- Possess a valid birth certificate endorsed by the National Population Commission, Hospital or Local Government Council or a valid age declaration.
- Possess a valid state of origin certificate.
- Applicants must possess NYSC discharge certificate or valid exemption certificate as appropriate.
- Graduates with professional qualifications must be duly registered by the relevant regulating bodies recognized by Nigerian Laws at the commencement of cadet training.
- Only post-secondary academic credentials obtained from 2011 to date will be considered.
- Applicants must present valid contact addresses and telephone numbers of parents/guardians and Next of Kin as appropriate.
- Candidates must not have any bodily inscriptions or tattoos.
- Candidates must tender all original copies of educational certificates (primary to post-secondary).
- Serving personnel must present valid military identity cards and letter of recommendation by their Commanding Officers/Commanders.
-
- They must also present valid letters of Service sponsorship to tertiary academic institutions (where applicable).
- Additionally, they must have served for a period of not less than 5 years.
- Candidates must not belong to any cult/society/fraternity.
A. Nigerian Army Engineers.
- Applicants must possess a minimum of BSc, BEng (Second Class Upper) or HND (Upper Credit) in any of the following areas:
- Quantity Survey
- Architecture
- Building Engineering/Technology
- Estate Management
- GIS/Survey
- Geology as well as Urban and Regional Planning.
- Such academic fields must be registered with the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) or regulating professional bodies.
B. Nigerian Army Signals
- Applicants must possess a minimum of BSc, BTech, BEng (Second Class Upper) or HND (Upper Credit) in any of the following areas:
- Electrical/Electronic Engineering
- Computer Science
- Computer Engineering
- Cyber Security
- Software Developer
- Network/Telecommunication Engineering
- Control Security Engineering
- Network Designer and Engineering
- UAV Pilot
- Geographic Information Systems Engineering
- Microwave Engineering
- Database Management Engineering
- System Control Engineering
- Satellite Communication Engineering.
C. Nigerian Army Medical Corps
- All applicants for the NA Medical Corps are expected to present proof of registration with professional regulatory bodies and current practicing license.
- Other requirements are as follows:
(1) Medical and Dental Consultants of Various Disciplines
- Applicants such as General Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Anaesthesia, Neuro-Surgery, Cardiothoracic, ENT Surgery, Physicians (Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, Nephrologists and Neurologists), Ophthalmologists as well as Obstetrics and Gynaecologists, Paediatrics, 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 be 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.
D. Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Applicants must possess a minimum of BEng, 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, Industrial/Production Engineering, Physics/Electronics Engineering, Weapon Engineering, Computer/Software Engineering, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Systems/Avionics Engineering.
- Such academic fields must be registered with the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (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.
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:
- The DSSC officers shall be on probation for the first 3 years of service.
- Conversion to DRC is not automatic but based on application by an eligible commissioned officer.
- All graduating officer cadets must sign an acceptance of the terms and conditions governing the DSSC before they are granted commission into the NA.
- The reckonable period of service for civilians who become commissioned officers will be based on the date of commencement of cadet training while that of military personnel applicants would be date of enlistment.
- Medical Consultants on successful completion of military training shall be granted the rank of Major with seniority effective from date of commission.
- 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.
METHOD OF APPLICATION
Note: Applications are to be made online free of charge from 7 January to 4 February 2026.
a. How to apply:
(1) Interested and qualified candidates should; go online to NA official webpage (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 “” 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 serving or have served in the Armed Forces of Nigeria. Choose the appropriate option and proceed.
(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 and log in.
(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 certificate or age declaration.
- (f) NIN/BVN.
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 applicants’ Local Government Chairman/Secretary or any military officer of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and above or an Assistant Commissioner of Police 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.
Go online and visit Official NA webpage for more details https://recruitment.army.mil.ng/military-secretary
CLOSING DATE
6. All applications must be submitted online not later than 4 February, 2026.
