Keeping up with Tradition
Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the retirement of the former chief of the naval staff was an ample opportunity for the navy to showcase their long standing tradition in a most colourful parade
Tradition they say never dies and that particularly holds true for the military. The Nigerian Navy, one of the tripod arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces, is not an exception
If there is any institution which adheres to tradition no matter how long ago it was established, it is the military. Tradition they say never dies and that particularly holds true for the military. The Nigerian Navy, one of the tripod arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces, is not an exception. For them, instead of tradition being deemed as archaic and outdated, these customs and traditions are seen as an anchor to their past, constantly reminding them of where they have been, where they are now and where they hope to be. It would therefore be safe to say that the very tapestry or fabrics that holds the military together is its customs and traditions.
Even though those traditions might not be understood by civilians, because of what they deem excessive regimentation, for the military, those same traditions are their heritage, even as they seek to align themselves with contemporary modern day structures and practices.
Thus, the observance of the customs and traditions of the military is an integral part of their way of life because a well defined and strong military built on past traditions is germane to its growth.
The Traditional Pulling Out Parade
So, it was in line with naval traditions, that they recently rolled out the drums and celebrated their own and the immediate past CNS, Vice Admiral Usman Oyibe Jibrin (rtd.). In a very traditional pulling/sailing out ceremony, Jibrin was retired after having reached his pinnacle after 37 years in the military.
The pulling-out-parade, which is a traditional military ceremony to mark officers’ retirement from service, is often held with pomp and pageantry. This recent one was no different. Hosted by the new CNS, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas, the former navy chief was sailed out of the NN after he was retired by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 14, 2015.
The retirement ceremony was kick-started by a valedictory dinner held for him at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos. Ditching their white uniforms for the dinner uniform known as 'Mess on Dress', Jibrin wined and dined with senior officers like Rear Admirals SI Alade, Goddy Ayankpele, Osondu, Babalola Egbedina, Ozojiofor, and so many others for the last time. The next day, which was the pulling/sailing out parade proper, the quarter guard was stationed at the gate of the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC). Immediately the new CNS drove in, he went on to inspect the quarter guard after taking the salute. Another military tradition.
Soon afterwards, Jibrin arrived and repeated the same process. He marched on to mount the Dias at the parade ground, a square piece of ground revered by all since it's supposedly soaked with the blood of the fallen heroes, of NNS QUORRA to take another salute while the navy band piped.
He soon went on to review and inspect the parade mounted in his honour. This soon gave way for the parade march past led by the parade commander. Afterwhich Jibrin went on to read his speech and say farewell to officers and men of the Nigerian Navy.
He also took out time to appreciate his fellow chiefs (the class of 2013) which includes former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah; former CNS, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin; former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal, Alex Badeh and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun and his wife, former President, Naval Officers' Wives Association (NOWA), Mrs. Lami Jibrin.
After this, another important navy tradition took place. It was time to pull him out. Climbing the white and bronze-painted jeep, which has pulled out countless CNS before him, he and his wife were pulled using a white thick rope.
The procession which started at NAVTRAC continued at the Western Naval Command and was led by the CNS, Vice Admiral Ibas. He was followed by representatives of other services including the General Officer Commanding, 81Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General IH Edet, as well as senior naval officers.
Lined up on both sides of the road were personnel of the service who saluted and cheered Jibrin as he was pulled out. The procession ended at the jetty inside the command and after a red-carpet march to the jetty, Jibrin entertained few questions from journalists and then boarded the ship with his wife and kids. Thus he was sailed out of the NN. With that tradition was kept and adhered to.
Past Icons of the Navy
Often referred to as Icons of the Navy, the past list of of CNS since the inception of the NN includes Captain FW Skutil, who was CNS from 1956 to 1958. and Commodore AR Kennedy who held the helm of affairs from 1958 to 1964. Others were Vice Commodore JEA Wey from 1964 to 1973; Vice Admira NB Soroh, from 1973 to 1975 and Vice Admiral MA Adelanwa from 1975 to 1980.
Not left out were Vice Admiral AA Aduwo from 1980 to 1893; Vice Admiral AA Aikhomu from 1984 to 1986; Vice Admiral Patrick Koshini from 1986 to 1990; Vice Admirak Murtala Nyako from 1990 to 1992; Vice Admiral DPE Omotsola from 1992 to 1993; Rear Admiral S. Sa'idu who was appointed in 1993 and removed same year.
Others after his include Rear Admiral AA Madueke from 1993 to 1994; Rear Admiral OM Akhigbe from 1994 to 1998; Vice Admiral J. Ayinla from 1998 to 1999; Vice Admiral VK Ombu from 1999 to 2001; Vice Admiral SO Afoloyan from 2001 to 2005; Vice Admiral GTA Adekeye from 2005 to 2008 and Vice Admiral II Ibrahim from 2008 to 2010.
Ibrahim was succeeded by Vice Admiral OS Ibrahim from 2010 to 2012; Vice Admiral DJ Ezeoba took over in 2012 and handed over to Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin in 2013. In 2015, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas took over as the 20th Chief of the Naval Staff.
Valedictory Remarks
During his pulling our ceremony which started with a valedictory dinner at the NN Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos, Jibrin jocularly said the dinner was organized to usher him into civilian life while handing him over to his wife for further deployment.
He also said he only feels a slight sense of sadness that he was leaving a family that he had been part of for the past 37 years. However, he said he is fulfilled having started out the dream of becoming a military officer and ending up as the 19th indigenous CNS.
For a man whose humble beginnings started from the Okura Lafia community in Dekina Local Government Area in Kogi State, he said his emergency was solely by the grace of God whom in His infinite mercies wills and gives power to whom He so desires.
He said, "As I sail into retirement, I urge you to continue to show dedication, commitment and patriotism in the discharge of your duty. We should consider ourselves privileged to be
in a service that has direct relationship with the economic wellbeing of our dear nation.
"To remain relevant and earn the respect of the Nigerian people, I urge all you to shun temptation and complicity in fighting economic crimes against our dear nation. I am convinced that my successor will not only sustain the tempo with regards to ensuring adequate security in our maritime environment but to strive to improve on the achievements already made."
The next day, which was his pulling out parade, Jibrin went down memory lane. He said, "When I joined the Nigerian Navy through the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as a member of the 24th Regular Combatant Course (RCC) in 1978, little did I know that I was going to be appointed as the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) in 2014.
"It is worth stating that my trajectory in life is worth recounting because of how I safely circumnavigated the seaboard of the Nigerian Navy. My career as a naval officer spanned through the murky streams, rivulets, rivers and seas for more than three decades and finally anchored at the naval headquarters as the head of the distinguished service of the NN.
"The NN made me what I am today, hence I am always grateful and indebted to this great nation for the training and exposure given to me through various appointments.
"I gradually went thorough various appointments, which are key to the leadership development of a crack seaman officer in a methodical manner. These appointments moulded me as a disciplined officer, which is a sine qua non in the military. I never joked with assigned tasks bearing in mind that hard work does not kill but strengthens individuals and consequently improved them on the job."
Noting that the president had particularly accused the NN personnel of stealing the nation's crude oil, Jibrin said on assumption of office, he took the accusation as a presidential directive, with no option but to decisively deal with the surge.
Jibrin said the marching order by the then president ultimately led to the decision to declare war on the oil thieves and illegal bunkeres, including pirates and sea robbers. The directive he said led to the seizing of quite a number of oil vessels and arrest of suspects within the nation's territorial waters.
Looking back at his achievements as the 19th CNS he said, "On assumption of office, I articulated my vision which included to emplace a well trained, equipped, maintained, organized and highly motivated naval force capable of being deployed solely or with other armies of services in the defence of Nigeria's maritime environment, other troubled spots and the Gulf of Guinea for sustained economic prosperity.
"After articulating my vision statement, I decided to place large premium on adequate training, motivation of personnel, and operational availability of assets in order to evaluate the ability of the NN to effectively perform her roles. Those efforts have paid off as evidenced by several achievements recorded by the navy in the past 18 months."
Jibrin said the navy had under his watch increased the number of Regional Maritime Awareness Centre (RMAC) sites from seven to 10 through the establishment of new sites at BRASS, FORMOSO, and Central Naval Command headquarters at Yenegoa for enhanced anti-crude oil theft operations.
He said, "I am glad to note the increased successes recorded by the navy in her policing operations. In collaboration with the joint Task Force Operation PULO SHIELD, the navy effected the arrest of many vessels and their crew from January 16, 2014 to July 14, 2015.
"The strategy of not releasing any of the arrested vessels until decided otherwise by court of competent jurisdiction also assisted in checking crude oil theft and illegal bunkering. It is however suggested that for total elimination of crude oil thief and illegal bunkering, Federal Government Agencies empowered to prosecute offenders must expeditiously bring offenders to justice. There is also the need for a legal review that will enable the navy to prosecute maritime criminals or offenders."
He also appealed that crude oil from arrested vessels should be immediately evacuated by the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to Nigerian refineries for local use after due documentation between appropriate agencies of government. He said the NN should also be involved in physicalisation at the point of loading for proper supervision and accountability.
Meanwhile, speaking on insurgency, he said there was no way the government would be able to fight insurgency in the country without the contribution of members of the public. He said that through diligent intelligence reports, security agents can unravel where explosive were being made. He said, "These people are amongst us. It is very difficult to know the suicide bombers with information about their operation. And since they are amongst us, the materials used to manufactured explosive are sold in Nigerian stores. Once such materials are stolen from you, you should be able to report to the security agents."
Speaking on the recent acquisitions of platforms under his watch he said, "Over the years, the NN has sought for ownership of the navy from the FG. This has resulted in the recent fleet recapitalization effort of the FG. Accordingly, on February 19, 2015, a historic milestone was achieved with the commissioning of four ships namely Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) CENTENARY, NNS OKPABANA, NNS SAGBAMA and NNS PROSPERITY by the then President Goodluck Jonathan.
"It is note worthy to state that NNS Unity, another Offshore Patrol Boat is expected to be added to the fleet before the end of the year. It's worth stating that the NN now has a training ship and NNS PROSPERITY after the death of NNS RUWAN YARO in 1980. While foreign acquisition of ships has been ongoing, the NN is unrelenting with local construction of boats and ships. The construction of the second Seward Defence Boat has reached advanced stage at the Naval Dockyard Limited in Lagos while the NN Shipyard in Port Harcourt is present constructing an ocean going tug. "
While he stressed that President Buhari cannot do this alone, he since the dynamics of the nation's defence and security are fast evolving, the navy must remain alive to her constitutional responsibilities at all times in order to instantly remain relevant to the Nigerian people.
Although Jibrin has gone as the 19th CNS, the navy marches on. It's a given that soon after his tenure, tradition would be adhered to again during the pulling out of his successor, Vice Admiral Ibas. For the military, and the navy, tradition has indeed come to stay.