By Kennedy Sheyin

Retired Maj.-Gen. Chukwuemeka Onwuamaegbu, former Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), has advised graduates to preserve their experiences at the academy through writing.

Onwuamaegbu made the call in Abuja on Saturday at the launch of book titled: “Rumbles of the New Academy”, written by Sub-Lt. Olufemi Akinwumi.

Onwuamaegbu, who served as the 25th commandant of the NDA, said that attending the academy was an esteemed privilege, adding that the unique experiences deserved to be documented.

“Tens of thousands of Nigerians, young men and women, apply to get admitted into the NDA, but just a few hundreds are chosen.

“It is a journey of a lifetime. I advise you to remain diligent, if you do it right, you will get to the pinnacle of your career.

“There are going to be temptations along the way, but if you are able to distinguish that wrong from right, and pull on the path of what is right, there is every chance that you will make it to the top of your career,” he said.

He said that the book brought back nostalgic feelings from his days as an instructor and, ultimately, the commandant of the academy, reminiscing the growth of the college over time.

Onwuamaegbu said that the book would be particularly conversant for graduates of the academy, as it would bring back memories of their experiences while at the NDA.

He also recommended the book for civilians who had no idea what happens in the four walls of the NDA, adding that it would help Nigerians appreciate personnel more “once they get an idea of what it takes to become officers”.

He challenged cadets currently in the NDA to emulate Sub-Lt. Akinwumi’s initiative and document their experiences to keep the tradition alive, so as to have more volumes and editions of experience documentation.

“It is such an important institution in Nigeria, and it is a legacy we must preserve,” he said.

The former NDA commandant called on the current commandant to ensure that copies of the book were made available to cadets in the academy, so that they could read and know that they were not alone in their experiences.

He also called on the National Defence College(NDC) to issue copies of the book to officers being sent to war colleges outside the country so that foreigners could also have insight into the beauty of the NDA.

He commended the author, who he observed as relatively fresh from the academy, for recounting his experiences as a cadet, adding that it was a great achievement many could only dream of.

The author, Sub-Lt. Olufemi Akinwumi, in his remarks, said that he felt the need to document his experiences in writing to avoid the memories fading away or becoming tampered with, by perspective, time or nostalgia.

“Memories, with time, become obscured with perception; over time, people tend to remember what they want to remember, not necessarily exactly what happened.

“One could have an experience today and tomorrow, your brain convinces you that something else happened, so I thought it wise to document my experience in the NDA,” he said.

He disclosed that in order to get a complete and accurate account of experience at the academy, he obtained perspectives from other cadets, instructors and commandants.

“I had to conduct interviews across genders, courses and perspectives. This is important because over 11,800 cadets had been academy before me.

“If I only recounted my own experience, it wouldn’t have been complete and I wouldn’t have covered it all, so I had to go a bit further,” he said.

Akinwumi expressed optimism that future generations would take a cue from his work and continue to document their experiences over time.

“Institutional experiences are very important, and the earlier they are being documented, the better for that institution,” he added.(NAN)

Edited by Polycarb Auta