History of the NMS Provost Corps

In December 1966, during the last address to the Boys on the eve of the session, RSM Yamusa Zakari Kumasi, while delivering his final remarks to the Boys who would be proceeding on break the next day, announced for the first time the appointment of Form 3 Boys who would be resuming the next session as Form 4 Boys (then the NMS 64 Set) to the rank of Boy Lance Corporals.

Prior to this, only the most senior class held all appointments.

The following, all from the NMS 64 Set, were promoted to Boy Lance Corporals:

1. NMF/256 Garba Dilli (Enugu House)
2. NMF/258 Ibrahim Ali Kote (Lagos House)
3. NMF/264 Michael Iyorshe (Enugu House)
4. NMF/271 Waje Akut (Kaduna House)
5. NMF/272 Edward Abutu (Enugu House)
6. NMF/277 Garba Ali (Ibadan House)
7. NMF/280 Abdullahi Toungo Turaki (Enugu House)
8. NMF/302 David Akono (Lagos House)

After announcing their appointments, the RSM further stated that, for the first time, a new innovation would be introduced to the school, the Boy Regimental Provosts (B/RPs), also known as the Provost Corps.

The Provost Corps was born from the unique vision of RSM Yamusa Zakari Kumasi, who wanted to create a unit within the Boys that would exhibit the highest levels of regimentation, discipline, and resilience. Their primary responsibility was to maintain order and enforce discipline among the Boys.

Their unique features symbolized strict adherence to the standard principles, customs, and traditions of NMS, demonstrating the highest level of Esprit-de-Corps. This aligned with the school’s objective of grooming young leaders by entrusting them with responsibilities at an earlier stage of their lives.

Out of the eight Form 3 Boys promoted to Boy Lance Corporals, RSM Kumasi selected Boy L/Cpl Ibrahim Ali-Kote and Boy L/Cpl Abdullahi Toungo Turaki and appointed them as the first-ever NMS Boy Provosts.

For the first time, he handed over RP badges and swagger canes to them. They were dressed in white belts and white anklets.

It is worthy to note that, with the introduction of the Boy Regimental Provosts in NMS, virtually all important Boys’ Appointments were highly contested and often clinched by Provost members.

The following year, as the 1967 session progressed, the Boy Lance Corporals, now Form 4 Boys, were promoted to Boy Corporals.

For increased effectiveness, RSM Yamusa Zakari decided to expand the Boy Provost Corps and appointed Boy Cpl Garba Dilli and Boy Cpl Garba Ali, bringing the total number of Boy Provosts to four.

Later, during their Form 4 year, among the now four Boy Provosts, RSM Kumasi promoted Garba Ali (later Maj Gen GA Mohammed, Rtd) to Boy Sergeant and appointed him as the first School Boy Provost Marshal. He held this post while also serving as the Junior House Commander of Ibadan House.

With Garba Ali’s appointment as the first Boy Provost Marshal while still in Form 4, the appointment of Boy Provosts was now shifted to Form 3 Boys, and they were no longer required to hold a rank, unlike the first set.

Garba Ali, nicknamed “Garba Konkon” for his strict military-style approach and deep passion for the army, took his job very seriously. As a Form 4 Boy in charge of discipline across the entire school, he did not spare even his seniors in Form 5 when they committed offenses. He is credited with establishing the strict traditional ethics of all new Boy Provosts, a system that later became known as “Provost Shifting,” aimed at equipping them with the necessary knowledge to execute their duties effectively.

In the 1968 session, now as a Form 5 Boy, Garba Ali was appointed Boy CSM (now Boy RSM) of NMS. He was succeeded as Boy Provost Marshal by Boy Sgt Asielue Alexius (NMS 65 Set), who held the post as a Form 4 Boy in the 1968 session.

Similarly, the next Boy Provost Marshal, Boy Sgt Ibrahim Lokoja (NMS 66 Set), was a Form 4 Boy in the 1969 session.

The following Boy Provost Marshal, Boy Sgt John Ugemah (NMS 67 Set), held the post for two sessions, first in Form 4 (1970) and again in Form 5 (1971). This transition shifted the Boy Provost Marshal appointment to Form 5, now the most senior class.

At the inception of the Provost Corps, there was no appointment of a Form 4 Company Provost Marshal. A Boy would simply become a Boy Provost in Form 3, then Boy Lance Corporal in Form 4 (a rank not strictly reserved for ex-Provosts). In Form 5, one person who must have been a Boy Provost in Form 3 was then appointed as the Boy Provost Marshal.

With the transition to the Company System and the upgrading of the Boys’ Appointment Ranking Structure in the 1976/77 session, the Boy Provost Marshal (B/PM) appointment was elevated to B/WOII (now B/WO). Boy Thomas Dick (NMS 73/77 Set), initially appointed as B/PM, was later also appointed as the Boy RSM, making him the first and only person in NMS history to hold both appointments simultaneously.

The appointment of Form 4 Company B/L/CPL PMs began in the late 1970s, making it mandatory that only these Form 4 Company B/L/Cpl PMs could be considered for School Boy Provost Marshal (B/PM) when they reached Form 5. Additionally, Form 4 B/L/Cpl PMs were placed directly in charge of Boy Provosts within their respective company’s.

In the 1981/82 session, B/PM Solomon David (NMS 77 Set) became the first non-Ex Provost to be appointed as School B/PM.

With the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 education system in Nigeria, NMS transitioned to a six-year curriculum, beginning with the NMS 86 Set as the first to experience the change. The NMS 89 Set (who became Boy Provosts in Form 3) and the NMS 88 Set (who became Company PMs in Form 4) had to retain their appointments for two years.

In the 1995/96 session, B/WO Fauziyyu Ma’aji (NMS 91 Set) became the first B/PM to introduce and wear the B/PM’s emblem. Before this, all B/PMs wore their respective company emblems.

When Golf Company was founded in 1999, Mohammed Gada, then in his Class Five and the Delta Company PM, was moved to Golf Company. He would be the Company PM in charge of both Delta Company and Golf Company. While Delta Company already had its Provost (NMS 95) in the 98/99 Session, Golf Company could not have one, as the Boy Provosts had already been shifted before Boys were moved to Golf Company.

It is worthy to note that Boys were selected from all companies to form the new Golf Company in 1999. So Golf Company had to wait until the next session, 99/00, to have Boy Provosts. NMS 96 set were the first set of B/Provosts in Golf Company.

In the 2001/02 session, Lt Col BI Agbab (NMS 72 Set), then the first Boys Battalion Commander (BBC), made slight adjustments to the ranking structure. He designated Class 4 Boy Provosts as Boy Lance Corporals, making the NMS 98 Set the first to hold this rank. He also assigned Class 5 Company PM’s and other Class 5 Boys, NMS 97 set as Boy Corporals. Then the appointment of B/Sergeants upto B/RSM was for only Class 6 Boys.

Over the years, the NMS Provost Corps has withstood the test of time, undergoing several changes in its traditions and operations.

Despite facing numerous challenges that have led to its suspension at different points, it has continually evolved, adapting its traditions and methods of enforcing discipline within the school.

NMS Provost Corps
The regimental pivot on which NMS rests.

Written by
Exboy Izaddin Chafe

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