By Linus Aleke
The Nigerian Army (NA), said, it has concluded arrangement to retire torn or worn out Colours, as well as 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.
This is even as the service also announced the diversion of some strategic routes leading to Eagle Square, venue of the trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade 2023, as part of effort to regulate traffic to avoid interference during the ceremony.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said this on Tuesday, while briefing Defence Correspondent in Abuja.
Gen. Nwachukwu said, a total of 81 units will be participating in the parade during the Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade, 2023.
He added that 53 Colours will be due for retirement, while 28 Colours will be presented to new NA units.
The Army Spokesperson noted that the event is a unique ceremony not only to the units eligible for colours presentation, as many are looking up to this ceremony to witness the height of military discipline and regimentation.
He said that colours are presented to combat and combat support units and regiment only.
“The last Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade for the NA units was conducted in 2007. 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),” he said.
Noting that colours are usually retired after 10 years of service, Gen. Nwachukwu said, “Most of the Colours in the NA have been involved in multiple operations in various geopolitical zones of the Country as well as foreign countries, hence deserving retirement and the presentation of new Colours”.
On the routes to be diverted, the Army spokesperson said, these include traffic light before Force Headquarters, traffic light by Milinium park and traffic light close to ministry of finance.
He noted that while, the Nigerian Army regrets all the inconveniences the diversion may cause to road users,
commuters are requested to use alternative routes as will guided by military police deployed at the designated points.
Gen. Nwachukwu also went down memory lane when he said, “Historically, the origin of colours dated back to the early days when men fixed their family badge to a pole and held it aloft in the battle for the dual purpose of indicating their position and as a rallying point should the occasion arise. This tradition was sustained by medieval chivalry as armorial bearings were placed on their banners so that these could be seen well above the melee. At the beginning of 16th century,when armies were beginning to adopt a system of regimentation each Unit was allotted a Colour, a custom which persisted till present day”.
He added that “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”.
He concluded that the National and Regimental Colours carried by NA units during parades and ceremonial activities are important source of identity and pride not only for the units involved but for the NA and the Armed Forces of
Nigeria (AFN).
