Nigerian Defence Headquarters

Defence Headquarters
DHQ
Armed Forces Complex, Area 7, Garki, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory in  Nigeria
Site information
Type	Military Headquarters
Owner	Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Website	defenceinfo.mil.ng
Location
Defence Headquarters Location in Nigeria
Coordinates	9°02′27″N7°29′21″E / 9.040929°N 7.489195°E / 9.040929; 7.489195
Site history
In use	1979
Garrison information
Current commander	General Christopher Gwabin Musa

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) is the principal headquarters of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is situated within the Armed Forces Complex, a sprawling military facility along the Muhammadu Buhari Way in Garki District of Abuja, which also houses the headquarters of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force and, the Nigerian Navy. ^[1]

The DHQ is responsible for deployment, sustenance and recovery of forces deployed externally or within the country. The DHQ is mandated to drive synergy among the tri-service of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

History

Nigeria operated a variant of the Pakistani Joint Staff Headquarters and the American Pentagon structure. In the constitution that came after the 1979 Nigerian presidential election the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) was established to enable the CDS carry out his duties. It was abolished by the Buhari regime in 1983. ^[2] The DHQ was reestablished and changed in 1985 to Joint Headquarters (JHQ) with the creation of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In September 1990, the nomenclature reverted to the DHQ. ^[3]

Structure

The DHQ is structured into nine departments:
1. Department of Defence Policy and Plans (DDPP)
2. Department of Defence Training and Operations DDTO)
3. Department of Defence Administration (DDA)
4. Department of Defence Communications (DDC)
5. Department of Defence Logistics (DDL)
6. Department of Defence Standards and Evaluation (DDSE)
7. Department of Defence Transformation and Innovation (DDTI)
8. Department of Defence Accounts and Budgets (DDAB)
9. Department of Defence Civil-Military Relations (DDCMR) ^[4]

Components

The Defence Headquarters is made up of the following components:

• Nigerian Army
• Nigerian Navy
• Nigerian Air Force
• Ministry of Defence
• Defence Intelligence Agency
• Defence Space Administration
• National Defence College
• Nigerian Defence Academy
• Armed Forces Command and Staff College
• Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria
• Multinational Joint Task Force
• Defence Health Maintenance Limited
• Military Pension Board
• Defence and Police Officers Wives Association ^[5]

Operations

It conducts joint cooperation ventures with TRADOC. ^[6]

References

1. "Defence Budget and Military Spending On War against Terror and Insecurity in Nigeria" (PDF). www.ijaar.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
2. Adache, Col (rtd) John (11 July 2014). The Military and Public Relations – Issues, Strategies and Challenges. AuthorHouse. ISBN   978-1-4969-8236-0.
3. "The Nigerian Defence Headquarters". defencehq.mil.ng. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
4. https://defencehq.mil.ng/index.php/components/
5. https://defencehq.mil.ng/index.php/components/
6. "A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Ayoade Raufu Dunmoye". www.researchgate.net. Retrieved 22 September 2023.