NewStats: 3,262,159 , 8,176,269 topics. Date: Sunday, 01 June 2025 at 03:01 AM 3p5o4s

After Getting into an Argument about what rank a NDA short service student graduates with, I saw browsed this piece online and decided it could help people who might need it.

So here it is... the Nigerian Military Hierarchy.

FIELD MARSHALL – The highest rank in the
Nigerian military hierarchy is Field Marshal. But
this term has never been used practically in
Nigeria, means no Nigerian has ever attained this
rank ever.

GENERAL – The highest rank practically attained
in the Nigerian military hierarchy is General. Full
General is basically a four star rank with NATO
ranking OF – 9.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL – Lieutenant General Rank is a high commissioned officer rank sub ordinate to General rank with a NATO ranking OF – 8, a three star rank in Nigerian military hierarchy.
Major General – A medium commissioned
officer rank with a NATO ranking OF – 7 and a
rank higher to Brigadier. This is a two star rank in
Nigerian military hierarchy.

BRIGADIER – With a NATO ranking OF – 6, this is
one star rank in the Nigerian military hierarchy.
Colonel – Rank lower to Brigadier is Colonel,
referred as Colonel of regiments. A lower level
commissioned officer rank and highest field
officer rank with ranking OF – 5.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL – Deputy to Colonel is
Lieutenant Colonel, a middle level field officer
rank with ranking OF – 4.

MAJOR – The lower level in the field officer
category is Major, a rank higher to Captain and
lower to Lieutenant Colonel with ranking OF – 3.

CAPTAIN – The next rank in the hierarchy is
Captain, the highest rank in the tactical
organization of troops with ranking OF – 2.

FIRST LIEUTENANT – First Lieutenant acts as a
deputy to the Captain. Term Lieutenant refers to
‘substitute’ to immediate superior rank with
ranking OF – 1.

SECOND LIEUTENANT – Second deputy to
Captain is Second Lieutenant, sub ordinate to
First Lieutenant with ranking OF – 1.

MASTER WARRANT OFFICER – Next rank in the
Nigerian military hierarchy is Master Warrant
Officer, an expertise leader who maintains,
operates, manages as well as isters the
military’s equipments.

WARRANT OFFICER – Warrant Officer handles all
the tasks of a Master Warrant Officer in his
absence and acts as an assistant to the same.

STAFF SERGEANT – Sub ordinate to Warrant
Officer, Staff Sergeant is a senior non
commissioned military officer.

SERGEANT – A junior non commissioned military
officer sub ordinate to Staff Sergeant in the
Nigerian military hierarchy.

CORPORAL – A corporal is an officer who is in
charge of a body of certain troop.

LANCE CORPORAL – Lance Corporal means
officer of lowest rank.

RECRUIT / TRAINEE – The cadets who have just
ed Nigerian military are at the lowest level of
the Nigerian military hierarchy.

NDA SS graduates comes out with First or Second Lieutenant depending on your grade.

Culled from
www.hierarchystructure.com

Very informative

Thanks OP. I wanna be a Field Marshal

seankay:
Thanks OP. I wanna be a Field Marshal

Amen. so what are you currently?

pomide:


Amen. so what are you currently?

2nd Lieutenant

seankay:

2nd Lieutenant

why you dey lie

KELVIN086:


why you dey lie

I ed thru NDA

KELVIN086:


why you dey lie

I spent 4 years in NDA

seankay:
I spent 4 years in NDA

god bless your field Marshal hustle

seankay:
I spent 4 years in NDA

NDA is five years bruh. Atleast you should check up something to be sure about it before lying.

EpicOracle:


NDA is five years bruh. Atleast you should check up something to be sure about it before lying.

Hehe actually I wasn't serious about my earlier posts

seankay:

Hehe actually I wasn't serious about my earlier posts

dem don catch u, next time no lie this kain stupid lie for here,
if you really went through nda, you would know that becoming a field marshal is next to impossible,
the only way one can actually become a field marshal is if you commanded as a general throughout wars like ww2, ww1 with victory.
in fact the whole of africa has generated only one field marshal since inception(nigeria as a nation has never had someone that rose to the rank of a field marshal).

KELVIN086:

dem don catch u, next time no lie this kain stupid lie for here,
if you really went through nda, you would know that becoming a field marshal is next to impossible,
the only way one can actually become a field marshal is if you commanded as a general throughout wars like ww2, ww1 with victory.
in fact the whole of africa has generated only one field marshal since inception(nigeria as a nation has never had someone that rose to the rank of a field marshal).

Guy no take am P, I know a lot about d military and I know its impossible to become a field marshal in Nigeria. If you think I was not joking then fine!

this post should make front page, very informative. most people did not know this before now

@OP, Topic should bear NIGERIAN ARMY instead of NIGERIAN MILITARY

KELVIN086:

dem don catch u, next time no lie this kain stupid lie for here,
if you really went through nda, you would know that becoming a field marshal is next to impossible,
the only way one can actually become a field marshal is if you commanded as a general throughout wars like ww2, ww1 with victory.
in fact the whole of africa has generated only one field marshal since inception (nigeria as a nation has never had someone that rose to the rank of a field marshal).

Egypt has produced two field marshals in very recent history (since d fall of Mubarak) Field Marshals Hussein Tantawi and Abdel Fatah al-Sisi

am i dreaming or has this thread really entered front page

this is one of the reasons nigeria has never produced a field marshal

termal 4 peeps crashing hard

now to be serious the major reason why people do not get to that rank is because they retire, in fact people that get to brigadier general level are very powerful and connected people, most people retire at major general level.

seankay:
Thanks OP. I wanna be a Field Marshal

not by mouth....this is the field marshal that I know

Very informative.

ok

Ok

MrIpledge:
not by mouth....this is the field marshal that I know

idi amin just appointed himself a field marshal, the guy never really deserved it

seankay:

Guy no take am P, I know a lot about d military and I know its impossible to become a field marshal in Nigeria. If you think I was not joking then fine!

in a democratic government .... not possible bro

Dem for dn retire u for Major General

I don't know anything about the military, Can someone please tell me why it is impossible to attain the rank of field Marshal in Nigeria?

KELVIN086:

that idiot idi amin made himself a field marshal during his rule

so no be original field marshal...who are the people responsible for promoting a soldier

chamboy:
in a democratic government

This probably answered my above question.

Idi Amin's Field Marshal is self made and not globally recognised. Attaining a field marshal is a herculean task.

Idrismusty97:
I don't know anything about the military, Can someone please tell me why it is impossible to attain the rank of field Marshal in Nigeria?

1. Democratic Governance

Funny!

pomide:


god bless your field Marshal hustle

chamboy:
1. Democratic Governance

I see.

seankay:
I spent 4 years in NDA

if you where really in the army you would now it impossible to be a field marshal