By Oscarline Onwuemenyi

The Nigerian Army has introduced a new and innovative means of standardising training regimes for its personal with the recent commissioning of a locally-built automatic static and moving target display machine by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika.

The remote-controlled static and moving target display machine which was unveiled to the public by Ihejirika at the ICC Shooting Range in Jaji, Kaduna state was conceived and built by a team of engineers from the Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (NAEME) department led by its commander, Major General Nnaemeka Maduegbunam.

It is expected to serve the Nigerian soldiers in their quest to attain proficiency in taking range shooting via consistent practice during small armed competitions amongst them as constantly undertaken in shooting ranges.

Ihejirika in his remarks at the unveiling ceremony stated that the initial plan and design for the automatic target display machine was conceived in 1997 by the Nigerian Army, adding that its realisation speaks volume of the forces intention to achieve reliable professionalism in its defence of Nigerian territorial sovereignty.

According to him, the team leader, Maduegbunam has remained an experienced engineer in the Nigerian Army, a feat that has earned him a national honours award in his area of specialisation.

He also commended the infantry corps for providing a veritable ground for the engineers to work, stating that it has provided another basis for the transformation and development of the Nigerian Army in areas of weaponry development.

Earlier, Maduegbunam explained that the remote-controlled static and moving target display machine was the first of its kind in Africa and possibly the world. He said that most target display machines in Nigerian Army inventory were manually operated while the new design is operated either manually or automated.

He equally commended the Army for allowing the NAEME corps the rare opportunity to conceive and implement the design, adding that Nigerians technological deficit could be tackled inwardly with commitment to achieve self reliance and sufficiency.

In his remarks, the commander infantry corps of Nigerian Army, Major-General M. D. Isah said that the occasion marked another milestone in the annals of the infantry’s history.

Isah explained that the project brought the Nigerian Army a step closer to the aim of improving the standard of training of its personnel which was also in line with the efforts of the Chief of Army Staff to transform the service to meet up with contemporary challenges in defending the country’s sovereignty.

He further added that, “The introduction of the machine will no doubt improve the marksmanship of skills of officers and soldiers to meet those of contemporary armies. I must commend the Chief of Army Staff for his support to the project as well as the NAEME team for their efforts towards the design, fabrication and installation of the target display machine.”

Innovative, Thanks nnaemeka, this is the first time that i ever heard that Nigerian army invented anything since after the civil war, Thanks to COAS for allowing this young man to complete this feat to the glory of nigerian army, other pin heads would have killed this project with tribalism or quota system, Good things happen when quality and good leaders lead. With quota system, these milestone would not have been achieved. For first time since civil war one heard the word invention in Nigerian Army and it's coming from an Nnaemeka Maduegbunam. It says a lot about Biafrans and I'm proud as always to be Igboman as we make things happen. Haters and envious tribalistic "dead brains" can go to hell and burn!

Those biafrans in nigerian army should beware. let history not repeat itself.
They should also channel technology to biafraland and to massob members.

^^^^Why will they do that?If so same should be sent to OPC,MEND and APC!!!

Are there any pictures? From the description given so far, it sounds quite basic so I'm wondering how it is that they didn't have something like this earlier and how they were practicing shooting prior to this. What were they using?

manchy7531:

Innovative, Thanks nnaemeka, this is the first time that i ever heard that Nigerian army invented anything since after the civil war, Thanks to COAS for allowing this young man to complete this feat to the glory of nigerian army, other pin heads would have killed this project with tribalism or quota system, Good things happen when quality and good leaders lead. With quota system, these milestone would not have been achieved. For first time since civil war one heard the word invention in Nigerian Army and it's coming from an Nnaemeka Maduegbunam. It says a lot about Biafrans and I'm proud as always to be Igboman as we make things happen. Haters and envious tribalistic "dead brains" can go to hell and burn!

creative people,

While not wanting to take wind out of d soldier's sail, I find it fraudulent to claim it as an "invention".

Obviously there were d manual types in use by same army. He only retrofitted it to work automatically. Wt fair budget and knowing ur gadgetry, its not a thing NA should b hyping in 2012.

Let them develop our local version of Iron Dome or Patriotic Missile, then we take them serious. Afterall the technology is in public domain already. Not some mechanical shooting game toy retrofit.

homerac7:

While not wanting to take wind out of d soldier's sail, I find it fraudulent to claim it as an "invention".

Obviously there were d manual types in use by same army. He only retrofitted it to work automatically. Wt fair budget and knowing ur gadgetry, its not a thing NA should b hyping in 2012.

Let them develop our local version of Iron Dome or Patriotic Missile, then we take them serious. Afterall the technology is in public domain already. Not some mechanical shooting game toy retrofit.

Thank you very much.

^^^^^

and ur point!!

at least we have to start from somewhere!! isnt ??

just like the japanese did back in time; now thats the spirit we ve talking about; now can u show some respect plzzzzzzzzzzzzz

some Nigerians can be funny sometimes

enuff said!!

cant thank u now; can ?

Officers of the Nigerian Army have invented things since the civil war. Google Brigadier General Dr. Otu Oviemo Ovadje

I have a mixed feeling about this.

First I should like to commend Gen Ihejirika for allowing this project to see the light of day; BUT knowing that Nigeria is yet to resolve one way or another, I fear that he and his brother Nnaemeka might be arming the POTENTIAL enemy who would definitely use these weapons against us if ever a shooting war starts in the future.

It pains me that as a Nigerian I cannot rejoice for these types of feats, because Nigeria is resolutely wayward and kills unarmed people daily.
It is not by coincidence that no one has invented even the easiest of anything in the Nigerian army before now, apart from repackaging AK47 calling it OGJ gun.

On the strength of this logic, I think this my brother has a point:

Logic Mind:

Those biafrans in nigerian army should beware. let history not repeat itself.
They should also channel technology to biafraland and to massob members.

BTW I laugh when I read things like this below:

homerac7:

While not wanting to take wind out of d soldier's sail, I find it fraudulent to claim it as an "invention".

Obviously there were d manual types in use by same army. [b]He only retrofitted it to work automatically. [/b]Wt fair budget and knowing ur gadgetry, its not a thing NA should b hyping in 2012.

Let them develop our local version of Iron Dome or Patriotic Missile, then we take them serious. Afterall the technology is in public domain already. Not some mechanical shooting game toy retrofit.

Does this guy think it is easy to AUTOMATE anything?
If it were that easy, why hasn't anyone done it before now?

Nigerians have a serious problem. Walahi. 

^^^

Nwanne, what ethnic bigotry is doing to ur reasoning is very bad. Please learn to see issues wtout tribal or ethnic prejudice for once, it doesn't make u less Igbo in any way.

For your information, I'm also a mechanical engineer wt sound knowledge of automation, so I knw what I'm talking about but what abt u? I'm industry based and mix wt allied professionals daily, so I know that many people (of different tribes and tongues) do such thing even without university education. Don't even let me bring in Indian and Chinese technicians who also do these things here. Who also told u dt he didn't simply pay someone to do it, abi u don forget how most of us do our final year projects in school of engineering?

Nna, stop basking in dt fake and childish imaginative Igwe of ur posts on NL, and learn to discuss progressively without tribal whinning.

homerac7:

^^^

Nwanne, what ethnic bigotry is doing to ur reasoning is very bad. Please learn to see issues wtout tribal or ethnic prejudice for once, it doesn't make u less Igbo in any way.

For your information, I'm also a mechanical engineer wt sound knowledge of automation, so I knw what I'm talking about but what abt u? I'm industry based and mix wt allied professionals daily, so I know that many people (of different tribes and tongues) do such thing even without university education. Don't even let me bring in Indian and Chinese technicians who also do these things here. Who also told u dt he didn't simply pay someone to do it, abi u don forget how most of us do our final year projects in school of engineering?

Nna, stop basking in dt fake and childish imaginative Igwe of ur posts on NL, and learn to discuss progressively without tribal whinning.

Bros I raised a genuine issue, which is that the army did not have this machine before now. Have you ever wondered why is that?lol

For an Igbo man to call another names just because I stated that this machine was not there before, and that the same weapon may be turned against Igbos like yourself, is the height of irresponsibility.

It is already happening with the army shooting unarmed MASSOB members in Igboland. So, I would say that it will LIKELY happen, therefore I am not happy about this, whether the invention is real or copied or contracted out. I am not waiting for better inventions or equipment for the army until Nigeria is discussed and agreed.

BTW I could care very least of what you think about my NL title. I have since found out that some of you can't live with it. Not my fault though. You have to wait till December 2012.

Some of us adighi agba ka anyi data ego! So, your opinion on that is irrelevant.

^^^

Earlier, Maduegbunam explained that the remote-controlled static and moving target display machine was the first of its kind in Africa and possibly the world. He said that most target display machines in Nigerian Army inventory were manually operated while the new design is operated either manually or automated.

Nwa nna, d quote above shows u dt NA had it. It was manual and d guy led a team to reftrofit it to work automatic.

Now u see my anger wt u is not reading through and impulsively jumping around doing ur usual my-tribe dance.

Udo!

Biafran pride,

ikeyman00:

^^^^^

and ur point!!

at least we have to start from somewhere!! isnt ??

just like the japanese did back in time; now thats the spirit we ve talking about; now can u show some respect plzzzzzzzzzzzzz

some Nigerians can be funny sometimes

enuff said!!

cant thank u now; can ?

Debated replying this post.Read the post I thanked(liked)properly. The soldier indeed tried and one will expect more in the future.but the way some people are hyping it as if its a weapon of mass destruction was just amusing. I hope to hear his name inventing some new sophisticated weaponry.

This guy is a ret@rd. I hope he knows he has handed his enemies (NOT THE NIGERIAN ARMY. . . . .But we know who) A priceless weapon that would be used against him the inventor very soon.

phreakabit:

This guy is a ret@rd. I hope he knows he has handed his enemies (NOT THE NIGERIAN ARMY. . . . .But we know who) A priceless weapon that would be used against him the inventor very soon.

So a 'target machine' is now a 'priceless weapon' abi?

Shame on the Nigerian Army for hyping such a basic device as an 'innovative invention'. What the hell does 'static and moving' mean sef?

manchy7531:

Innovative, Thanks nnaemeka, this is the first time that i ever heard that Nigerian army invented anything since after the civil war, Thanks to COAS for allowing this young man to complete this feat to the glory of nigerian army, other pin heads would have killed this project with tribalism or quota system, Good things happen when quality and good leaders lead. With quota system, these milestone would not have been achieved. For first time since civil war one heard the word invention in Nigerian Army and it's coming from an Nnaemeka Maduegbunam. It says a lot about Biafrans and I'm proud as always to be Igboman as we make things happen. Haters and envious tribalistic "dead brains" can go to hell and burn!

As the article states, the Nnaemeka fellow is just the leader of the Engineering team. Most likely the fellow had nothing to do with the project's 'invention'. Leaders always get the credit. You'd know this if you'd ever done any work in an organization.

What exactly is this new device all about? Going by its name, how far a target can it monitor?

While not wanting to take wind out of d soldier's sail, I find it fraudulent to claim it as an "invention".

Obviously there were d manual types in use by same army. He only retrofitted it to work automatically. Wt fair budget and knowing ur gadgetry, its not a thing NA should b hyping in 2012.

Let them develop our local version of Iron Dome or Patriotic Missile, then we take them serious. Afterall the technology is in public domain already. Not some mechanical shooting game toy retrofit.

He never claimed it to be an INVENTION, its just over zealous journalism that says that

Kudoss must be given to the Nigerian army for in the least believing that they could build it themselves and going ahead with it, it would have been very easy to go and import a pre- fabricated device and just come and couple it here,

KokoBeware:

He never claimed it to be an INVENTION, its just over zealous journalism that says that

Kudoss must be given to the Nigerian army for in the least believing that they could build it themselves and going ahead with it, it would have been very easy to go and import a pre- fabricated device and just come and couple it here,

The Army commander says it is "the first of its kind in Africa and possibly the world". Why would you blame an 'overzealous' journalist for construing these words to mean 'invention'?

Please blame the Army commander instead!

Good one