Nigerian Army : 53 troops’ colours gone, 28 new colours on order of battles

The Nigerian Army is set to retire 53 Colours which are symbols of the various battles several units have embarked upon over a number of years. The premise is that many of the colours are either torn or worn out and no longer commanding the essence of present-day security threats and demands.

Speaking on Trooping and presentation of colours parade 2023 on Tuesday, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu gave an indication of the importance of colour in the military and the rationale behind the colours being retired and the new ones.

“Historically, Colours have served as an inspiration for heroic acts of self-sacrifice and become the symbol of the fighting spirit of a regiment, for they bear the campaigns, battle honours and badges granted to the regiment in commemoration of the gallant deeds performed by its members from the time it was raised”.

According to him, “Most of the Colours in the NA have been involved in multiple operations in various geo-political zones of the Country as well as foreign countries, hence deserving retirement and the presentation of new Colours.

“A total of 81 units will therefore be participating in the Parade, 53 Colours will be due for retirement, while 28 Colours while be presented to new NA units”.

“It is against this backdrop and in line with the traditions, customs and ethics of the NA, that Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade 2023 will be conducted to retire torn or worn out Colours, as well as to present the National and Regimental Colours to the newly established and operationalized NA units in line with the increasing operational commitments of the NA as well as provisions of the extant NA ORBAT”.

Recalling that the last Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade for the NA units was conducted in 2007, Nwachukwu said, “Since then, new units have been established and operationalized in line with the increasing operational commitments of the NA as well as provisions of extant NA Order of Battle (ORBAT).

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“Colours are usually retired after 10 years of service.

“The association of the Colours with heroic deeds of the units emblazoned on them has led to the custom of regarding the Colours with veneration.

“It is therefore the desire of combat and combat support units to be presented with National and Regimental Colours in special ceremonial parades with the President and Commander-in-Chief of AFN in attendance.

“Colours are presented to combat and combat support units and regiments only.

“In the NA, the first known account of Colours dated back to 1863 when the company designated for Nigeria moved from Gold Coast (now Ghana) to Nigeria with their company’s flag which represented their Colours or Guidon as they are called by the British.

‘However, Colour Presentations in the NA for the first time was in 1922 when the then British monarch, His Majesty, King John V awarded Colours to each battalion of the Nigerian Regiments which formed part of the British West African Frontier Forces (WAFF) in recognition of their services.

“The Regiment as a whole was also granted a colour which has an inscription written in Arabic captioned ‘‘Victory is from God Alone’’ and till date, this inscription is being used by the Nigerian Army on the Logo and also on NA officers’ cap badges of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and below as well Non-Commissioned Officers.

‘The Colours of a regiment are presented by the heads of state or monarch, prime minister and Commanders-in-Chief of the Country or State under which the regiment exists.

“The National and Regimental Colours carried by NA units during parades and ceremonial activities are an important source of identity and pride not only for the units involved but for the NA and the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

“The sight of the Colours creates a feeling of pride in soldiers and ex-soldiers. The event is scheduled to hold on 27 April 2023 at the Eagle Square Abuja.

In his remarks, the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Balasubra, who traced the bilateral ties between Nigeria and India back to 1958, said the new film, “Post Card from India,” with Nigerian and Indian cast would showcase the composite cultures between the two countries.

According to Balasubra, ”the outstanding MoUs on Joint Film Production and Cultural Exchange Programme would further solidify the cultural ties between Nigeria and India”.