Nigerian Defence Academy Helps Officers Discover Their True Selves, Says Ex-NSA
Linus Aleke in Abuja
Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), has said the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) provides an environment for military officers to discover their true selves, understand their strengths and weaknesses and develop the leadership qualities required to serve the nation.
He said the institution is pivotal in shaping the character, discipline and professional outlook of officers, adding that the rigorous military training and academic exposure provided by the institution play a significant role in transforming cadets into disciplined, responsible and patriotic officers committed to national service.
He also noted that there has been a remarkable shift in thinking among contemporary military officers in Nigeria, saying: “We are becoming more and more alive to the realities of today and the demands of the contemporary security atmosphere, which imposes on us the need for self-preservation.”
Speaking at the official unveiling of a book titled ‘Rumbles in the New Academy,’ authored by Sub-Lieutenant Olufemi Akinwunmi, the erstwhile NSA said: “These are the sort of stories that we need to tell people because even we ourselves do not know ourselves at the point of moving into the Nigerian Defence Academy.
“As soon as you cross that gate and you are adopted into a new company or battalion, as is the case now, you drop your old self and you begin to discover your new self. And on the day of commissioning, all you are left with is a new person with a new set of values which you will carry on for the rest of your life.
“For us, the good thing here is that we forge friendships, relationships, very, very enduring, genuine friendships, fraternal relationships which do not expire. And this is one of the things that we have taken away from our training in the Nigerian Defence Academy. But more conspicuously is the change in attitude from boyhood to manhood. And now, of course, from girlhood to womanhood.”
The special guest of honour added: “In essence, there’s an evolution, there’s a seismic shift in the thinking of the contemporary military officer from what we used to know several decades ago. We are becoming more and more alive to the realities of today and the demands of the contemporary security atmosphere, which imposes on us the need for self-preservation.”
The chairman of the occasion and former Commandant of the NDA, Major General Chukwuemeka Onwuamaegbu (rtd), said the book is a must-read for all literate Nigerians.
Onwuamaegbu, who stressed the need to distribute the book to other military training institutions across the globe, said: “For those who did not experience it, and those who did but may have forgotten, I would strongly encourage you to pick up this book to remember what you went through. For those who never experienced it, the book offers an opportunity to understand what officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police go through before earning the ranks they wear on their shoulders.”
A former Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd), said the Nigerian Defence Academy is more than an institution for military training; it is an alma mater that shapes character, builds leadership, instils discipline and creates lasting bonds.
He said: “You may graduate from your alma mater, but your alma mater never graduates from you. The values, experiences and memories acquired here remain with us throughout our lives.”
He stated that what we fail to document today may be lost to generations yet unborn, adding: “As we celebrate this book, let us remember that ‘we inherit our institutions from the past, shape them through our contributions today and preserve them for generations yet unborn’.”
The author, Sub-Lieutenant Akinwunmi, said he wrote the book to preserve the institutional memory of the NDA.
