Thursday, April 9th 1964. Soundless footage of President Julius Nyerere of Tanganyika welcoming officers and men of the 3rd Battalion of the Nigerian Army when they paraded for him at State House in Dar-es-Salaam.
The Nigerian troops took the place of 600 British Marine Commandos who were called in to keep the peace following the Tanganyika Army mutiny in January.
President Nyerere inspected a Nigerian guard of honour and afterwards took the salute at a march past, led by the battalion's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Pam.
Accompanying Mr Nyerere were the Tanganyika vice president, Mr Rashidi Kawawa; the Tanganyika Minister for External Affairs and Defence, Mr Oscar Kambona; and the Nigerian High Commissioner, Mr N.A.Martin.
Source: Reuters News.
Note: On April 26th 1964, Tanganyika joined with the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The union was influenced by Julius Nyerere's principle of Ujamaa, a key component of which stressed the need for "territorial nationalism." The country was re-named Tanzania within a year of the union.
Tuesday, March 31st 1964. Footage of the first contingent of Nigerian peacekeeping troops arriving in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika (later Tanzania).
They were met at the airport by Mr. Ade Martins, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Tanganyika, members of the Tanganyika cabinet and the commander of the soon-to-depart British commandos.
Source: Reuters News Archive.
Note: The Nigerian troops took the place of 600 British Marine Commandos who were called in to keep the peace following the Tanganyika Army mutiny in January 1964. The Nigerian Army was given the role after an emergency meeting of the organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Dar-es-Salaam in February. The troops were members of the 3rd Battalion of the Nigerian Army commanded by Lt. Colonel Yakubu Pam.
Monday, September 21st 1964. Soundless footage of President Julius Nyerere of Tanganyika honouring the officers and men of the 3rd Battalion of the Nigerian Army at a farewell parade at State House in Dar-es-Salaam.
The battalion, which was led by Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Pam, had taken over the policing role undertaken by British Royal Marine commandos in April. The British commandos were called in by the Tanganyikan government after the Tanganyikan army mutinied in January. The Nigerian Army was given the role after an emergency meeting of the organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Dar-es-Salaam in February.
During the assignment, Lieutenant Colonel Pam oversaw policing as well as training duties. On September 1st, 1,100 recruits for the new Tanganyikan Army completed a three-month training programme. Those soldiers, together with troops of the 2nd battalion Tanganyikan Rifles were expected to more than make up for the loss of the 1st Battalion which was disbanded after the mutiny.
The intention was that the Nigerian soldiers would be replaced after six months by another contingent of African soldiers from either Algeria or Ethiopia, but the Tanzanian authorities decided that this was no longer necessary.
During the ceremony, President Nyerere presented Lt. Col. Pam with ivory horns and the colonel returned the favour by presenting the president with a shield.
This was the only period during Ecomog operations that resembled what Boko Haram is doing today. I'll try and remember details from BBC World Service reports at the time.
It seemed like Ecomog was about to completely win the war in Sierra Leone. Fodhay Sankor had been arrested in Abuja and the RUF was in a difficult position. However, some Sierra Leonean Army soldiers who were unhappy, teamed up with RUF rebels to stage a coup.
A Nigerian general told the BBC that he had previously warned the troops about the refugees that were streaming into the city from a particular location. He said that they could be militants in disguise, but nothing had been done about his warning. Indeed, some RUF fighters disguised as refugees and got into the city and teemed up with the disgruntled Sierra Leonean soldiers. Ecomog was surrounded on Lungi Island.
Sierra Leone's main airport is on Lungi Island and the island was also the location of Ecomog's headquarters. Some of the Nigerian officers on Lungi Island had actually trained some of the Sierra Leonean troops that had staged the coup. Nigeria had a training agreement with Sierra Leonian long before the war broke out.
Ecomog had gotten President Tejan Kabbah out of Freetown as the coup was taking place.
The coupists were led by a young officer called Johnny Paul Koroma. They initially boasted that the Nigerians would find it difficult to take back Freetown, but they said that they were open to peace talks. Privately, some of the senior coupists admitted that they would not be able to resist sustained force from the Nigerians. Junior officers and other ranks from the coupist side went on a looting spree in Freetown and they committed a lot of atrocities.
As you can see in this video, the coupists were spooked when they saw a Nigerian warship offshore. That warship was NNS Ambe. But they probably didn't realise that NNS Ambe was an LST (it was not NNS Aradu, which had bombarded rebels in Liberia and Sierra Leone). The Nigerians probably had Ambe ready either in case they had to make an amphibious landing or in case they needed to be evacuated. Neither of those things were necessary because this was the time that General Khobe's brilliance and bravery came to the fore.
Just like E.A. Etuk had done with the Owerri Breakout in the 1960s, General Maxwell Khobe led his troops from the front to carry out the famous Freetown Breakout and to drive the rebels and coupists from Freetown. Johnny Paul Koroma was chased out of Freetown (it is believed that Charles Taylor later had him killed after he sought refuge in Liberia).
(The Sierra Leonean being interviewed is Brigadier Samuel Koroma, Johnny Paul Koroma's brother).
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NAF HOLDS VETERANS OUTREACH PROGRAMME AS PRELUDE TO 2024 ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY
As a build up to the 2024-Armed Forces Remembrance Day scheduled for 15 January 2024, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar has approved the commencement of the maiden Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Veterans Outreach Programme. The Programme is scheduled to hold from 12-13 January 2024 in the 3 oldest NAF Commands located at Makurdi, Kaduna and Lagos, and aims at giving back to NAF retired officers, airmen and airwomen through medical outreaches, health support talks/lectures and interactive sessions with respective AOCs/Base Comds. Other objectives of the outreach include boosting the morale of the veterans by giving them a sense of belonging while also serving as a forum to discuss and resolve observed challenges that are peculiar to retirees’ welfare.
It is also anticipated that the programme will go a long way in uplifting the spirit of the veterans while also assuring them that their services and sacrifices to the nation remain deeply appreciated and unforgettable. It will also demonstrate a positive message of care to those currently serving, reinforcing the value the NAF places on their ongoing efforts at safeguarding lives and properties of Nigerians, while encouraging them to continue to dedicate their services to the nation.
Edward Gabkwet Air Vice Marshal Director of Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force 12 January 2024
naptu2: Let's take a moment to remember Lieutenant Oluwafemi Odushina.
He was killed on Tuesday, the 13th of May, 2014. Boko Haram ambushed the late Oluwafemi with his troops around the Chibok area where they had gone to search for and rescue the abducted Chibok girls.
Following his death, the news got to the military camp and reportedly led to a mutiny by some soldiers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army against the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major-General Abubakar Mohammed who was then redeployed.
Lt. Odushina Oluwafemi was an old student of the Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos State. He served with the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in Darfur and later went to Pakistan for an additional training course. In March 2014, he was deployed to Maiduguri where he was killed defending the nation’s integrity.
naptu2: Let's take a moment to remember Lieutenant Oluwafemi Odushina.
He was killed on Tuesday, the 13th of May, 2014. Boko Haram ambushed the late Oluwafemi with his troops around the Chibok area where they had gone to search for and rescue the abducted Chibok girls.
Following his death, the news got to the military camp and reportedly led to a mutiny by some soldiers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army against the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major-General Abubakar Mohammed who was then redeployed.
Lt. Odushina Oluwafemi was an old student of the Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos State. He served with the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in Darfur and later went to Pakistan for an additional training course. In March 2014, he was deployed to Maiduguri where he was killed defending the nation’s integrity.
In Nigeria, Armed Forces Day, also known as Remembrance Day, is celebrated on January 15th. It was formerly marked on the 11th of November every year to coincide with the Remembrance Day (Poppy Day) for the World War II veterans in the British Commonwealth of Nations, but it was changed to January 15th in Nigeria in commemoration of the surrender of Biafran troops to the Federal troops on 15th of January 1970 thus signalling the end of the Nigerian Civil War.
The day is marked with a Remembrance Day parade at the Cenotaph in Abuja and in the 36 state capitals. The ceremony includes a 21 gun salute, playing of the Last Post, a minute's silence, laying of wreaths and release of pigeons to symbolise peace.
In the past month Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblems have been on sale across the country. Proceeds of the sale of the remembrance emblem go to the Nigerian Legion.
The Nigerian Legion is the Nigerian association of ex-servicemen, i.e. former members of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force.
Officers and men of the armed forces are trained to fight and kill. When they retire, they discover that there are no jobs for them (some of them have been in the armed forces since they were teenagers and military work is all they know). Others were forced to retire from the Armed Forces due to injuries sustained in battle. The Legion helps them to integrate into society and to take care of themselves.
By law the Legion is permitted to operate certain businesses in order to raise money for its members. Members of the legion also serve as security guards at government establishments (you often see them in their brown uniforms). The Legion also raises money through the sale of Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblems.
In recent years (especially since the return to civilian rule) members of the Legion have gone through great hardship while trying to collect their pensions and gratuity. Sometimes their pensions are not paid for many months. At other times, legionnaires, who could be as old as 60, 70, or 80 years old are made to travel long distances and queue in the hot sun, all in the name of pension verification exercise. Many legionnaires have died during this process.
Picture 3) Officers and men of the Nigerian Legion.
Picture 4) Note the five stars on the President's emblem
If you are fortunate enough to see this please don't ever think of joining the Nigeria Armed Forces especially that one called the ARMY because your sacrifices will be in vain, don't let any form of frustration or suffering or passion compel or deceive you in to joining. I am talking from experience o.
Spirit7957: If you are fortunate enough to see this please don't ever think of joining the Nigeria Armed Forces especially that one called the ARMY because your sacrifices will be in vain, don't let any form of frustration or suffering or passion compel or deceive you in to joining. I am talking from experience o.
