NIGERIAN ARMY MARKS 150 YEARS

NIGERIAN ‎#ARMY MARKS 150 YEARS
We say not yet a people army. Because it was formed in 1863 to attack Nigerian people as an instrument of Colonial power. The Nigerian Army laid the foundation of Nigeria when the nation was formed in 1914. In our Political Statement No 6 we advocate
6. ALL NIGERIANS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 55 TO BECOME COMPULSORY MEMBERS OF THE NIGERIAN ARMED FORCES AND ASSIGNED TO VARIOUS TRADES ACCORDING TO THEIR COMPETENCES IN REGULAR/VOLUNTEER ROLES 6 TO 17 YEARS OLD WILL BE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH CORPS.
The history of the Nigerian Army dates to 1863, when Lt Glover of the Royal Navy selected 18 indigenes from the Northern part of the country and organized them into a local force, known as the “Glover Hausas”. The small force was used by Glover as governor of Lagos to mount punitive expedition in the Lagos hinterland and to protect British trade routes around Lagos. In 1865, the “Glover Hausa” became a regular force with the name “Hausa Constabulary”. It performed both police and military duties for the Lagos colonial government. It later became “Lagos Constabulary”. On incorporation into the West Africa Frontier Force (WAFF) in 1901, it became “Lagos Battalion”. In addition to this force, the British Government included the Royal Niger Company (RNC), Constabulary Force in Northern Nigeria in 1886 and the Oil Rivers irregular in 1891.
In 1889, Lord Fredrick Lugard had formed the incipient body of what was to be known in 1890, as the West Africa Frontier Force, (WAFF), in Jebba, Northern Nigeria. The new unit expanded by absorbing the Northern Nigeria-based elements of the Royal Niger Company (RNC) Constabulary. By the end of 1901, it had incorporated all paramilitary units in the other British dependencies into its command, thus fully meriting its designation “WAFF”.
The establishment of West Africa Frontier Force (WAFF) led to the merger of all units into regiment in each of the dependencies. The merger in Nigeria produced the Northern Nigerian Regiment and Southern Nigerian Regiment.
The First commanders of the Southern Regiments of WAFF were Lt CHP Carter (1899-1901) and Col J Wilcox (1900-1909) respectively. The two regiments were later used for expeditions during the annexation of Nigeria by Lord Lugard between 1901 and 1903.
With the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914, the unification of the Northern and Southern Regiments came into being and this witnessed the birth of the Nigerian Regiments.
President Goodluck Jonathan in Field Marshal uniform takes the salute during Army Day celebrations July 6 2013 at the Eagle Square Abuja