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Unbelievable! Camel Promoted To A Corporal In Nigerian Army. by COOLDK(m): 9:12am On Jan 04, 2011 |
An unusual occurrence was witnessed at the Nigerian Army Cantonment in Victoria Island in Lagos recently. It was the day military officers, both young and old, gathered to promote a camel from the Sultanate’s animal husbandry. By the time the soldiers departed, the lucky camel was wearing his new rank with pride. It was the day Camel Rakumi became a corporal in the Nigerian Army. Brigadier General Sanusi Nasir Muazu, Commander of the 9 Brigade, , led other one star Generals and Colonels to decorate the camel with the military rank of corporal. General Muazu commended the 65 Battalion of the force for keeping to the universal military tradition of maintaining a mascot. The decoration had initially cast many questions in the hearts of barrack residents and watchers of events in military circles. Many people had sought the motive behind the adornment of a camel with the rank of corporal. Some military officers who spoke with Daily Sun likened the induction of Camel Rakumi to that of many military mascots scattered in all the armed forces around the world. Military mascots, the soldiers noted, refer to pet animals maintained by a military unit for ceremonial purposes or as an emblem of that unit. It may also be referred to as a ceremonial pet or regimental mascot. The camel, Daily Sun learnt, had arrived Lagos from Sokoto State and had just reported to the Commanding Officer of 65 Battalion after a three-month training at the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, Kaduna State. Identified as Camel Rakumi, the Army authorities said that the camel had reported that early at the parade ground because it was its day of induction into the Nigerian Army, as a mascot for the 65 Battalion. The battalion is an infantry battalion attached to the 81 Division in Lagos. Its insignia is a camel and since that was established it had always had a live camel as its mascot. Shortly after Camel Rakumi took its position at the far end of the parade ground, the battalion moved towards adorning it with its uniform so as to really belong to the force. A pink and red cloth, which was the colour of the battalion, was thrown around the camel while same colours were tied around its legs. A soldier was assigned to the camel to give it direction, while over 100 soldiers filed out to join in the parade heralding the decoration of the camel with the rank of a corporal. The induction, Daily Sun learnt makes the camel a full-fledged member of the Nigerian Army entitled to everything a soldier is entitled to. Before November 9, 2010 when Camel Rakumi was posted to the 65 Battalion, it underwent military training at the Nigerian Army depot in Zaria and was given a thorough orientation about the battalion he was to serve in. It was learnt that the camel has a history with the Nigerian Army, as it was born on January 15, 2006, a date set aside for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. It was born in Sokoto into the family of the Sokoto Caliphate animal husbandry and attended the Sultanate Durbar Racing School between 2007 and 2008 The army said that before recruiting Camel Rakumi into the force, it discovered that the animal had distinguished itself as a very strong, energetic and fastest in its class. The force told Daily Sun that the Caliphate Chief Rider confirmed this as it was discovered that the chief rider introduced the Camel to Durbar Racing and since then, the camel had continued to distinguished itself in most of the racing contests organized by the Caliphate. He won the fastest runner award during the Durbar hosted by the Sultan of Sokoto in honour of President Umar Bashir of Sudan. He also won award as best behaved and adored camel during the 2009 Eid el Kabir Durbar in Sokoto. It was these qualities that distinguished the camel and enabled the Nigerian Army to bring him into their fold and decorate him with the rank of a corporal. Regiments of the British Army have long been prone to adopting animals as their mascots. Dogs, goats and ponies are just a few that have served as mascots in the British Army, but the earliest recorded event was that of a goat belonging to the Royal Welch. It ended up leading the Welsh regimental Colour off the battlefield at the end of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Since then, it was gathered, a goat has always served with the Battalion. In 1884, Queen Victoria presented the regiment, then called the Royal Welch Fusiliers, with a Kashmir goat from her royal herd, and a tradition was started. The British Monarchy has presented an unbroken series of Kashmir goats to the Royal Welch Fusiliers from the Crown ’s own royal herd. In Nigeria, the tradition of military mascot was copied from the British Army, with a little modification. The Nigerian Army adopts mascots based on the battle efficiency of the troop. For instance, the elite Brigade of Guards adopted the Scorpion which it has on its badge to illustrate its potency, while the 3rd Armoured Division Jos, Plateau State assumed the Octopus as its Mascot to give a fearful posture to the Division. The 1st Divison Kaduna picked a white horse as its mascot to illustrate its strength while the 82 Division in Enugu adopted a flying dragon to show its prowess. Every division, brigade or battalion in the Nigerian Army adopts a mascot that suits its operation and indeed defines its potency in the battlefield. The 81 Division Lagos did not adopt any animal as its mascot; rather, it adopted a palm tree to illustrate its area of operation, but being and infantry division, its battalion had adopted the camel as its mascot. www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/jan/04/national-04-1-2011-0014.htm |
Re: Unbelievable! Camel Promoted To A Corporal In Nigerian Army. by COOLDK(m): 9:15am On Jan 04, 2011 |
Laughing |
Re: Unbelievable! Camel Promoted To A Corporal In Nigerian Army. by Bawss1(m): 4:18pm On Jan 04, 2011 |
A good development. |
(1) (Reply)
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