• Emerge only international competitors in maiden Chinese military sailing skills competition
Seven cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) have made international history by flying Nigeria’s flag as the only international competitors who competed against their Chinese counterparts at the maiden edition of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy “Deep Sea Warrior” International Seamanship Competition hosted by the PLA Naval Submarine Academy and was held at the Qingdao International Sailing Centre from October 16 to 21, 2023.
The seven cadets of NDA, comprising six male cadets and one female cadet, include Cadets TS Olajide, JO Ughasoro, OD Hassan and JP Offikwu. Others are Cadets AS Mohammed, K Nsirim and MS Umana. The cadets who spent a week in China and won several medals at the competition joined other Midshipmen from seven other countries and overseas cadets studying at China’s naval academies, as well as their Chinese counterparts, participating in the weeklong “Deep Sea Warrior” International Seamanship Competition and International Midshipman Exchange Week in Qingdoa.
However, of the eight foreign participants, only cadets from the Nigerian Defence Academy competed alongside their Chinese counterparts in the various events in the seamanship competition. Other countries participated as Observers.
Commenting on the courage of the cadets and their impressive performance at the seamanship competition, the Commandant NDA, Major General JO Ochai, praised the cadets. He said the development is a product of the new cadets training curriculum recently adopted by the Academy to make its graduates more attuned to modern warfare and prepare them with the right skills and aptitude, to quickly fit into the needs of the Nigerian Armed Forces and bring the current throes of insecurity in Nigeria to a stop.
“The training in NDA has been boosted with the new training curriculum which places more emphasis on physical fitness and special military capabilities for our cadets. What you are witnessing is a direct result of this new path to cadets’ training in NDA,” Maj Gen Ochai revealed.
He added that cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy have been performing excellently in various national and international platforms. He recalled that recently, a cadet of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Cadet PO Akoh, received the prestigious Hudson’s Horse Award for Particular Merit during the recent Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK in August, 2023.
Another cadet, DO Sangokoya also graduated as the Best Allied Cadet at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, UK. All three cadets have been commissioned into the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Maj Gen Ochai reiterated that under his command NDA will continue to improve the training and produce officers with exceptional skills for the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The International Seamanship Competition held in Qingdao International Sailing Centre and the nearby waters, where the seven NDA cadets competed for laurels alongside their Chinese counterparts, hosted a number of events including Sailing Skills, Maritime Obstacle Relay Race, Maritime Lifesaving Race and Team Triathlon, among other competitive events.