NIGERIAN CADET EMERGES THE BEST AT THE ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY

Noel Shekoduza Moses, a Twenty-four-year-old Nigerian Officer Cadet has been awarded the Queen’s medal after emerging the best student in Military, Academic and Practical Studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (RMAS), United Kingdom. Cadet Moses beat 16 other foreign cadets to receive the medal at the Sovereign Parade for Overseas Cadets in the UK. He undertook one year course as senior intake at Sandhurst.
Moses was born in Kaduna state and attended the Nigerian Defence Academy, obtaining a bachelors degree in Civil Engineering. He also attended the counter-terrorist course in Nigeria. He played hockey and participated in orienteering at Sandhurst.

An extremely elated Moses disclosed that he was very proud to be a Nigerian and I will impart the knowledge he gained from the academy on others back home.

The Nigerian Defence Academy delegation at the ceremony was led by the Registrar Brig.-Gen. Henry Ayamasaokwei. According to the NDA Registrar “Moses had vindicated the academy, as only the best are sent out. It also shows that the standards at NDA are high. That is why he could achieve this. And I believe this will motivate other cadets at the academy and encourage them to do well. This will also motivate future trainees to strive for excellence’’.

Major-General John Ogidi, Nigeria’s Defence Adviser to the United Kingdom, said Moses’ award had further buttressed the high standard of education at the NDA. He added that Nigerians who attended the Royal Academy always performed well and urged others to strive for excellence.

Ambassador Oluwatosin Lawal, Nigeria’s deputy high commissioner to the United Kingdom, commended Moses for the feat. He added: “It is a moment of joy for Nigeria and shows that we are blessed. This goes beyond military training, we are indeed proud”

Staff Officer Cadet at the Royal Academy, Col. Dick Crombie said Moses represented the best of Nigeria, “we are proud of him’’. He also assured of continued partnership with Nigeria.

The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (RMAS) has played host to many distinguished Nigerian soldiers since the early 1950’s. Among the notable alumni of Sandhurst include General Yakubu Gowon, General Murtala Mohammed, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Major Benjamin Adekunle.

NOW THAT MANDELA IS GONE, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

In describing his life, Mandela stated that "I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances. And that captures the true essence of the man that the world is honouring today. But was Mandela such an icon to begin with? Well, for those who have not heard, I don’t flatter people unnecessarily. It might sound a bit harsh but am sure Madiba will not have a problem with that.

Nelson “Madiba” Mandela was a very confidential individual who often made his feelings known to close confidants. He lived an ascetic life devoid of alcohol and cigarette but not women. Madiba as he was fondly called was like most men; he loved women, his country, the finest things in life and wanted peace in the world. He was well-known for his playful sense of wit and renowned for exhibiting both the attributes of warrior and a saint. Always sociable and hospitable, he often appeared comfortable amongst his adversaries and never ceased to be gracious and considerate. Mandela always gave a listening ear to everyone, regardless of their age, social standing or political interest. He was extremely conscious of the image he portrayed, and throughout his life always sought out to look his best with a piece of noble comportment.

THE EIGHT EXPERIENCE: AN EXPERIENCE​D EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE BEST MUSICAL CONCERT IN 2013

This year's edition of The EXPERIENCE has come and gone and will arguably go down as the best musical concert held in Nigeria this year. Like the editions before, it was not short of robust excitement from gospel music's finest. However The EXPERIENCE 8 stood out on its own in many respects.

It was heralded rather unfortunately by the death of arguably Africa's greatest icon, Nelson Mandela. So it was not surprising that Madiba's demise dampened the anticipation of The EXPERIENCE, at least on social media.

I arrived at the venue at a time I thought was early enough but ladies and gentlemen I underestimated The EXPERIENCE. So there was this long queue that almost stretched from TBS to Obalende. But as someone who was determined to run into the presence of my helper (TBS), I humbly joined the queue. However, I was not too excited about this "queue" thing for personal reasons. There is something about me, women and queues (mouth sealed).

BEHOLD TOMIWA OLAGUNJU, NIGERIA'S AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PRODIGY

Oluwatomiwa Adetoyese Olagunju has achieved an uncommon feat by building an aircraft. This had been his childhood dream and he worked at it tenaciously. The graduate of aerospace engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) was a member of an eight-man team that built and piloted a prototype aircraft as part of his final year project. The team’s project was tagged “The Vermilion Project”. The team was tasked to design and build an aircraft to carry the greatest amount of payload given certain restrictions, including use of a specific engine, a total size limit (225) in span + length) and some material restrictions.

The mission was to take off in less than 200 ft, complete a simple flight circuit of a field and land in less than 400 ft. The entire plane was built with a combination of bass, balsa and spruce woods. The aircraft the team built has a 10ft wing span and 6.7ft long from propeller to tail. It weighed 19 pounds without the payload and 45 pounds with the payload. Oluwatomiwa personally worked on the fuselage, tail aerodynamics and control system.

He and his team soon began to make the headline as the FIT felt that what the team did was good enough to complete with some of the best from around the world; so, it was entered for the society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design East competition, where they competed against engineering students from all over the world.

Studying and graduating as an aerospace engineer, though challenging, was very exciting for Tomiwa. Here are some interesting things that he had to say about his experience so far.


The motivation that led him to embark on building the aircraft

In my third year at the University, we were tasked with coming up with ideas for our final projects and I quickly keyed into designing and building an autonomous aircraft that would be able to drop a payload at a given specifications. Although I was not able to do that project, I was assigned to a similar team to build a remote-controlled aircraft and the experience was definitely more fulfilling than I imagined.”

How he feels being a Blackman in a white- dominated environment
FIT has a diverse campus and a wide variety of people from all over the world. To be honest, race was not really a factor in my experience here.


What really motivated him to study the course?
I have always been fascinated with airplanes, rockets and flight in general and when I started thinking about my career, I initially wanted to be a pilot. But as I got older, I developed a greater interest in what goes on behind the scenes. I did a little more research and decided to study Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering in the university. I could recollect watching the TV with my parents when I was about seven years old. We saw a plane crash with some casualties.

 “The question that came to my mind as a child then was: ‘Is it not possible to design aircraft that will not break into pieces or explode? That was when my dream grew bigger about aircraft and flight.”


The role played by his parents
My parents are also a strong factor. My father has always taught me not only to work hard, but to work smart and always think about the big picture. He also taught me never to limit myself, but to push harder to become great. My mother encourages me and strengthens my belief in myself and God.


His plans for the future
It is not enough to qualify as an engineer; I still have my eyes fixed on the bigger picture. I need to build an edge in a highly competitive world. This ambition has compelled me to apply for a Masters Degree programme in engineering management at the FIT, which I hope will help to integrate my engineering knowledge with business practices.


Credit: Daily Newswatch