A Chevening Scholar and one of the Nigerian Navy’s most decorated officers, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, has been appointed as the 22nd Commandant of the National Defence College (NDC), Nigeria’s highest military training institution.
Rear Admiral Ahmed takes over from Rear Admiral James Ohimai Okosun at the premier institution responsible for training senior officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and participants from allied countries in strategic leadership and national security management.
The appointment reflects the military’s confidence in Rear Admiral Ahmed’s professionalism, leadership capacity, and wealth of experience accumulated over three decades of distinguished service to the Nigerian Navy and the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Ahmed was the 7th Commandant of the Naval War College, where he led key courses and presided over the graduation ceremony of Command Level Officers’ Course 7. He served as Deputy Chief of Defence Space Administration and Director of Recruitment, Resettlement, and Reserve at the Naval Headquarters.
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Rear Admiral Ahmed also held several command and instructional appointments, including Director of Plans at the Naval Headquarters, Chief Staff Officer at the Naval Training Command, Commander of Naval Base PATHFINDER, and Commander of Naval Unit Abuja.
He was the Directing Staff at the National Defence College, the Air Force War College, and the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, where he played a pivotal role in mentoring mid- and senior-level officers in strategy, defence policy, and inter-agency cooperation.
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Rear Admiral Ahmed’s academic record is equally outstanding. The new NDC Commandant is an alumnus of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences in 1993.
He holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Ghana, Legon (2011), and another in International Security Studies from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom (2014). In the same year, he completed the International Cyber Policy Programme at Cranfield University, United Kingdom.
Professional honours include the Grand Service Star (GSS), Pass Staff College Dagger (psc+), and Distinguished Fellow titles from the Air Force War College (afwc+), National Defence College (fdc+), and the Naval War College (defnc). He is a recipient of the Chief of Naval Staff Commendation.
Renowned for his intellectual depth, humility, and calm leadership style, Rear Admiral Ahmed is widely respected across military circles for commitment to academic excellence, discipline, and professional ethics. Married with children, his hobbies include reading and long-range hunting.
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