Exam Prep · Army, Navy & Air Force

Army, Navy & Air Force Recruitment Current Affairs Questions and Answers

The Nigerian Army (Regular Recruits Intake), the Nigerian Navy (Basic Training School batches) and the Nigerian Air Force (Basic Military Training Course) each screen recruits with an aptitude test that covers English, mathematics, general knowledge and current affairs, followed by physical and medical checks. Status on the official portals as of 1 November 2026: the Navy’s Batch 39 application (open 2–31 October 2026) has closed, with the aptitude test on 21 November 2026; the Army’s 92RRI online application has closed, and shortlisted candidates screen in their states of origin from 17 November to 1 December 2026; Air Force BMTC 47/2026 registration ran from 3 September to 14 October 2026 and its aptitude test held on 24 October 2026. The questions below cover the service chiefs, founding dates and the national set.

Verified · updated October 26, 2026
Closed 31 OctNavy Batch 39 — aptitude test 21 Nov 2026
17 Nov–1 DecArmy 92RRI state screening (applications closed)
ClosedAir Force BMTC 47/2026 — test held 24 Oct 2026
12 divisionsArmy structure since July 2026

Statuses from the official portals, checked 1 November 2026: joinnigeriannavy.navy.mil.ng (Navy Batch 39 closed 31 October; aptitude test 21 November), recruit.army.mil.ng (its 92RRI notice set state screening for 17 November–1 December 2026; the portal now shows no ongoing application) and nafrecruitment.airforce.mil.ng (BMTC 47/2026 dates and the 24 October aptitude test). The Army has not published a 92RRI aptitude-test date, so none is stated here. The Navy portal ends in .navy.mil.ng; look-alike addresses are not official.

How current affairs is tested

None of the three services publishes a question count or duration for the recruit aptitude test, so this page states none. What is consistent across recent intakes: a multiple-choice paper on English, mathematics, general knowledge and current affairs, sat at zonal or state screening centres, followed by documentation, physical fitness and medical examinations.

Military current-affairs questions are heavy on the chain of command — the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs, the Minister of Defence and the National Security Adviser — plus service history: founding years, the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the Nigerian Defence Academy, and the 2026 restructuring that took the Army from 8 to 12 divisions. Then the national set that every recruitment test repeats.

Armed Forces facts every candidate should know

Officeholders are as of September 2026 (facts ledger re-verified 6 September 2026). Mottos are omitted where a single official English form could not be confirmed by two sources.

FactAnswer
Chief of Defence StaffGeneral Olufemi Oluyede
Chief of Army StaffLieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu
Chief of Naval StaffVice-Admiral Idi Abbas
Chief of Air StaffAir Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke
Chief of Defence IntelligenceMajor-General Emmanuel Akomaye Parker Undiandeye
Minister of DefenceChristopher Musa
National Security AdviserNuhu Ribadu
Nigerian Army originTraces to 1863 (Glover’s Hausa Constabulary); the Army marked “Army@163” in July 2026. Expanded from 8 to 12 divisions in July 2026, with new headquarters at Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City and approval to recruit 28,000 more personnel
Nigerian Navy originFormed 1 June 1956 as the Nigerian Naval Force; “Royal” dropped in 1963; Navy Act No. 21 of 1964. Motto: “Onward Together”. Naval HQ: Area 7, Garki, Abuja
Nigerian Air Force originEstablished by the Air Force Act of 18 April 1964; first ten cadets sent abroad for pilot training in 1962. Six commands: Tactical Air (Makurdi), Mobility (Yenagoa), Air Training (Kaduna), Ground Training (Enugu), Logistics (Lagos), Special Operations (Bauchi)
Nigerian Defence AcademyEstablished 5 February 1964 at Afaka, Kaduna; degree-awarding since 1985; first female cadets 2011; Commandant Major-General Oluyemi Olatoye (appointed November 2025)
Armed Forces Remembrance Day15 January, marking the end of the Civil War on 15 January 1970

Army, Navy and Air Force current affairs questions and answers

Part A covers the Armed Forces; Part B is the national set drawn live from our verified Q&A bank.

55 questions · tap a question to reveal its answer in self-test mode

Part A · Nigerian Armed Forces

1. Who is the current Chief of Defence Staff?
Answer: General Olufemi Oluyede (as of September 2026).
2. Who is the current Chief of Army Staff?
Answer: Lieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu.
3. Who is the current Chief of Naval Staff?
Answer: Vice-Admiral Idi Abbas.
4. Who is the current Chief of Air Staff?
Answer: Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.
5. Who is the current Minister of Defence?
Answer: Christopher Musa.
6. Who is Nigeria’s National Security Adviser?
Answer: Nuhu Ribadu.
7. How many divisions does the Nigerian Army have?
Answer: 12, since the July 2026 restructuring that added four divisions (headquarters at Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City) to the previous eight.
8. How many additional personnel did the President approve for the Army in July 2026?
Answer: 28,000.
9. When was the Nigerian Navy formed?
Answer: 1 June 1956, as the Nigerian Naval Force; it dropped “Royal” in 1963 and operates under the Navy Act No. 21 of 1964.
10. What is the motto of the Nigerian Navy?
Answer: “Onward Together.”
11. Where is the Nigerian Navy headquarters?
Answer: Naval Headquarters, Area 7, Garki, Abuja.
12. Which Act established the Nigerian Air Force, and when?
Answer: The Air Force Act of 18 April 1964.
13. Name the six commands of the Nigerian Air Force.
Answer: Tactical Air Command (Makurdi), Mobility Command (Yenagoa), Air Training Command (Kaduna), Ground Training Command (Enugu), Logistics Command (Lagos) and Special Operations Command (Bauchi).
14. When was the Nigerian Defence Academy established, and where is it?
Answer: 5 February 1964, at Afaka, Kaduna State.
15. Who is the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy?
Answer: Major-General Oluyemi Olatoye, appointed in November 2025.
16. What is the Nigerian Army’s recruit intake called?
Answer: The Regular Recruits Intake (RRI). The current intake is 92RRI: online applications have closed, and state screening runs from 17 November to 1 December 2026.
17. Which Air Force recruitment course was open in September 2026?
Answer: Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) 47/2026; registration ran from 3 September to 14 October 2026, and the aptitude test held on 24 October 2026.
18. Which Nigerian Navy recruit batch is recruiting in 2026?
Answer: Batch 39: applications ran from 2 to 31 October 2026 and have closed, the aptitude test is on 21 November 2026, and basic training starts in the first quarter of 2027.

Part B · National current affairs every candidate is asked

19. When was the Nigerian Air Force established?
Answer: 1964
20. Who is the first Nigerian Navy Commodore?
Answer: Commodore Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey (J.E.A. Wey), promoted Commodore in 1964 when he became the first indigenous Chief of Naval Staff (1964–1973).
21. When is Nigeria's Armed Forces Remembrance Day, and what does it mark?
Answer: 15 January — it marks the end of the Nigerian Civil War on 15 January 1970 and honours fallen military personnel.
22. When was the first military coup carried out in Nigeria?
Answer: 1966
23. Who was Nigeria’s First Military Head of State?
Answer: General Aguiyi-Ironsi
24. The first female Brigadier in Nigeria is ___
Answer: Brigadier Ronke Kale
25. Who is the current president of Nigeria?
Answer: Bola Ahmed Tinubu
26. Who is the current vice president of Nigeria?
Answer: Senator Kashim Shettima
27. Who is the current Senate President in Nigeria?
Answer: Godswill Obot Akpabio
28. Who is the current Nigerian Deputy Senate president?
Answer: Senator Barau Jibrin
29. What is the name of the current speaker of the House of Representatives?
Answer: Tajudeen Abbas
30. Who is Nigeria’s current chief justice of the Supreme court?
Answer: Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun
31. What is the name of the current CBN Governor?
Answer: Dr. Olayemi Michael Cardoso
32. The current INEC chairman?
Answer: Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan
33. When did Nigeria have its independence?
Answer: 1st October 1960
34. How many Local Government Areas do we have in Nigeria?
Answer: 774
35. How many senators make up the National Assembly of Nigeria?
Answer: 109 senators
36. How many geopolitical zones are there in Nigeria?
Answer: Six (6) geopolitical zones
37. What is Nigeria’s motto?
Answer: Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress
38. The Nigerian flag was designed by who?
Answer: Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi
39. The first line of the new Nigerian Anthem is ___
Answer: Nigeria we hail thee!
40. What year did "Arise, O Compatriots" stop being Nigeria's national anthem?
Answer: 2024 — specifically 29 May 2024, when the National Anthem Act 2024 took effect.
41. Who wrote the Nigerian National Pledge?
Answer: Felicia Adebola Adeyoyin (also rendered Adedoyin).
42. Who was the first president of Nigeria?
Answer: Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe
43. Who was Nigeria’s first prime minister?
Answer: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
44. The first governor-general of colonial Nigeria was?
Answer: Lord Frederick Lugard
45. When was the Federal Capital Territory created?
Answer: February 3rd, 1976
46. When did Nigeria's federal capital officially move from Lagos to Abuja, and who declared the move?
Answer: 12 December 1991; declared by General Ibrahim Babangida.
47. The largest state in Nigeria by landmass is?
Answer: Niger State
48. Which is the Nigerian state with the highest population?
Answer: Kano State
49. When was the Nigerian Naira introduced?
Answer: 1st January 1973
50. When did Nigeria join the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)?
Answer: July 12, 1971
51. In what year was ECOWAS founded?
Answer: 1975
52. In what year did Nigeria join the United Nations?
Answer: 1960
53. How much is Nigeria's 2026 federal budget?
Answer: ₦68.32 trillion — President Tinubu signed the 2026 Appropriation Act into law on 17 April 2026. The budget was originally presented to the National Assembly at about ₦58 trillion in December 2025 and revised upward with a ₦9.81 trillion supplementary provision. (The 2025 budget was ₦54.99 trillion.)
54. What is the minimum age to run for President of Nigeria?
Answer: 35 years
55. When was the Central Bank of Nigeria established?
Answer: 1958

Keep preparing

Test recall with the timed quiz, then revise the full Q&A bank. The Presidents and Heads of State list and the Military Coups page cover the military-history questions these tests favour.

Frequently asked questions

Which military recruitment is open right now?
As of 1 November 2026, none of the three services has an open application. The Nigerian Navy’s Batch 39 portal (joinnigeriannavy.navy.mil.ng) closed on 31 October 2026, with the aptitude test on 21 November 2026. The Army’s 92RRI online application has closed (state screening 17 November–1 December 2026), and Air Force BMTC 47/2026 closed on 14 October 2026 and held its aptitude test on 24 October 2026. Use only the services’ official portals; recruitment is free.
Has the Nigerian Army 92RRI shortlist been released?
Not as of 4 November 2026. The Army’s portal (recruit.army.mil.ng) states that there is no ongoing recruitment application, and its guidelines say the names of candidates shortlisted for screening will be published on the Nigerian Army website — the portal carries a “Shortlisted RRI” tab that opens only after login. Shortlisted candidates report to their states of origin for screening from 17 November to 1 December 2026. Treat any list circulated elsewhere as unofficial until it appears on the portal; recruitment is free at every stage.
What is in the Army recruitment aptitude test?
A multiple-choice paper on English, mathematics, general knowledge and current affairs, followed by physical and medical screening. The Army does not publish a question count or duration.
Who are the service chiefs of Nigeria?
Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Adm. Idi Abbas; Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Chief of Defence Intelligence Maj-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye — as of September 2026.
What is the difference between the RRI and the Nigerian Defence Academy?
The RRI recruits soldiers (other ranks) after an aptitude test and screening. The NDA at Kaduna trains officer cadets over five years and has awarded degrees since 1985; entry is through its own entrance examination.

Sources: Nigerian Navy, Air Force and Defence Academy official history pages; Premium Times and Guardian Nigeria on the July 2026 Army restructuring; the Army, Navy and Air Force recruitment portals (recruit.army.mil.ng, joinnigeriannavy.navy.mil.ng, nafrecruitment.airforce.mil.ng), checked 1 November 2026; the site facts ledger (service chiefs, verified 6 September 2026). Agency heads and ministers are re-verified against the site’s facts ledger; the last full check is shown in the verified line above.

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