Mohammed Usman Thompson is the lead advocate for the DEFEND Trust Fund Campaign, a national movement dedicated to securing sustainable support for military and paramilitary families in Nigeria. A proud “barracks boy” with over 15 years of lived experience in military communities, Mohammed embodies a rare commitment to transforming the lives of families who stand behind the uniform.

He is a global young leader, community and leadership consultant, barracks community development advocate, innovation strategist, and humanitarian, whose groundbreaking academic research inspired the DEFEND Trust Fund. As part of his Master’s thesis at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), “Impact of Financing Military Spouses Association on the Growth of Entrepreneurship Activities in the Barracks”, he recommended the establishment of a national trust fund to empower military families. Today, that vision is being advanced through the DEFEND Trust Fund campaign, mobilizing 100,000 signatures in 100 days to influence policy adoption.

Mohammed is also the Founder/Team Lead of the Beyond Barracks Project, an initiative that empowers military spouses and dependents through financial literacy, cooperative savings, and entrepreneurship training. His work has engaged more than 1,000 young people across multiple military bases and continues to inspire policy-level support for military family empowerment.

He has held several notable leadership positions, including:

• Students’ Leader, University of Lagos
• Students’ Organizer, Commonwealth Students Association
• Member, National Working Committee for Europe & Africa (Commonwealth Youth Council)
• West Africa Representative, G20 Youth Summit

In 2017, he emerged as the overall best corps member in Cross River State out of 4,008 corps members, following eight impactful community projects that reached more than 10,000 people. That same year, he was among five young Nigerians recommended by UNDP Nigeria to join the inaugural 1,000 talented youth globally selected for UNLEASH in Denmark, developing solutions to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mohammed is also a committed researcher, focusing on inclusive finance and entrepreneurship, military family economic resilience, informal savings cooperatives and financial innovation, gendered access to capital in conflict-affected communities, and community-based economic development.

He holds a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Lagos, a Masters in Financial Economics from Federal University Lafia, and a Masters in Entrepreneurship and Business Management from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). He also earned a Diploma in Globalization and Development from Maastricht University, Netherlands. He is currently an MPhil candidate in Management at NDA, with a proposed thesis on “Cooperative Savings and Trust: A Financial Empowerment Model for Enhancing Entrepreneurship among Military Spouses in Nigeria.”

A Chartered Management Consultant and licensed Business Development Service Provider, Mohammed is an Associate Member of the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria, the Pioneer Chairman of the North Central Nigeria Chambers of Young Entrepreneurs, and a Member of the Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs. He is also Principal Partner at Mo Thompson Consulting and author of Financial Planning for Small Businesses.

Through his leadership journey and research-driven advocacy, Mohammed continues to shape impactful conversations on youth, entrepreneurship, and inclusive policy. His work reflects an enduring passion for empowering military families, building resilient communities, and driving national security through family welfare.