Brig.-Gen. Clifford Wanda and Brig.-Gen.
Cecelia Akagu are arguably the only couple to become generals in the Nigerian
Army. They share their experiences with LEKE BAIYEWU
When and how did you join the Nigerian
Army?
Wanda: I started my military
career as a Boy Soldier in the Nigerian Military School in 1974. That was my
entrance into the army. After graduating from the military school, I proceeded
to the university where I read medicine. After graduation, I was then
commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1986 as a Lieutenant medical doctor.
Akagu: I didn’t know much about
the army until 1984 when I went to Makurdi, Benue State. I went out with my
uncle and I saw some people running. I asked my uncle what they were doing and
he said ‘they are people who want to join the military.’ I picked what my uncle
said and went away. During the next intake, I went there. I had a friend called
Stella, a Calabar lady. She came to me and said ‘Cecelia, how do you feel being
called retired Colonel Cecelia?’ That was how we went for the form and I went
for the recruitment (exercise). During the recruitment, they were not too sure
of my name. I used to be very skinny and slim but when they assessed me, they
knew that I was fit for the job. When they were doing the selection, they
picked a lady and said, if she was not picked (shortlisted), I would be the
second person to be picked. When I got to the camp, they asked if I was Monica,
I said no. They said, ‘Thank God. We didn’t want to make a mistake. We wanted
you to be among the girls to be picked.’ That was how I started the journey.
Of all the professions available to you, why did you choose to become a
military officer?
Wanda: I have always loved the
army because I first came in contact with the army through my foster dad who
was a soldier; I lived with him and grew up with him. That was the beginning of
my love for the army. Again, I went to a primary school that was in the
barracks – a military primary school in Enugu. From my father and having lived
in the barracks for long, I took up the interest. In fact, I was so much in
love with the military that before I took my First School Leaving Certificate,
I insisted that I must go to military school. I was not going to take any
examination other than a military school examination, which I did and passed. I
proceeded to military school in 1974. It would interest you to know that when
he (foster father) bought the forms from the military school, I was so small
then that they refused to give him the forms. They requested that if I was
interested in the army, I should raise up my hand. I raised my hand but they
said I was too small. But when there was no other person to take the forms,
they gave it to me, which I filled. I took the examination that year and I made
it to the military school. Such was the love I have for the army.
How did your parents and those around you
feel when you insisted on following your military passion?
Wanda: My foster dad, who I grew
up with was already in the army. He loved it and even though my siblings didn’t
want me to go to military school and join the army, that was what I loved they
were saying, ‘you can die, you can be injured.’ For me, it was like an
adventure. It was something I loved. I grew up in the barracks, I saw the way
soldiers did their things – the military gear, the discipline, and everything
associated with the military. I could not be discouraged.
As a lady, was there a time when you felt
like making a U-turn due to the rigours of the training?
Akagu: No.
How did you meet your wife?
Wanda: We met in 1990 during our
training – our orientation course. Having been commissioned, we started our
orientation course in Jaji. We were course mates, so to say, even though she
was a Second Lieutenant and I was a Lieutenant. We met during the course and
the relationship started from there.
What did you see in a fellow officer that
made you woo her?
Wanda: I saw so many things in
her but the most prominent ones are that she is always cool, calm, composed and
you could see a woman who is in charge. She doesn’t fidget; she is not the
fidgety type, she is always in charge. I saw a woman I could trust and that
would hold on if I was not around. Above all, she was God-fearing. These are
some of the things I saw in her.
What were the qualities you saw in him
that made you accept his proposal?
Akagu: I did social science.
When I was growing up – right from secondary school – I told myself that I was
going to marry a scientist. As young as I was, because I am dark, I told myself
that I was going to marry someone that is fair, fine and very intelligent. We
met and became very good friends. We were however fighting at the beginning; we
were not really agreeing. I remember one of my roommates, Toyin – she’s a
brigadier general too – telling me each time we fought that ‘is it not you? I
know you will always reconcile.’ That was how we started until the relationship
led to marriage.
What was usually causing the fight?
Akagu: I used to be very
authoritative; I always wanted to be in charge and he was a gentleman. Of
course, if you want to marry a wife, you will try to groom her to become who
you want. I was resistant but after some time, I changed. He used to call me
‘small man’ and ‘Margaret Thatcher.’ I later realised that anytime I showed
such qualities, I was not getting anything (positive) from him. So, I advised
myself that even though I’m a soldier, I am a woman too. I decided to humble
myself and that was the end of the fights.
After overcoming the opposition to your
choice of profession, was there any opposition to your decision to marry a
fellow soldier?
Wanda: The initial thing was,
‘you have to come back home and marry from the East.’ I’m from Ngwo in
Enugu. Remember that I said I had a foster dad who was from the North. My
siblings and others felt that, ‘now that you have grown up and become somebody,
you better come nearer home. If you want to marry, why don’t you come home by
marriage rather than remaining in the North and marrying from outside of
home.’ There was the opposition, not just because she is a soldier, no;
they did not oppose that. It was because she was not from my area. We were able
to overcome it over time.
Akagu: Yes and no. My parents
lived in the East, so they know Igbo culture. Igbo was my first language. They
had to take me back to our village for me to learn our language. I am Igala
from Ankpa in Kogi State. When I came with the request that I wanted to marry
somebody from the East, my mother used a proverb that summarily translates to
‘something one hears about from afar is now right on one’s laps.’ I invited
him; they saw him and accepted him. Over time, my parents’ opinion changed.
Naturally, people will want you to marry from your place.
What is the peculiarity in your marriage
as two senior military officers?
Akagu: Like I said earlier, even
though I am a soldier, I am a woman. The first thing women have to learn is
that they must first of all accept who they are. The Bible has told us our
roles as a housewife, mother, home keeper and our role in the church. I have
always been relying on God for all the things I do. I don’t argue with him.
When he takes a decision, we look at it together. In most cases, we accept what
he says. Even sometimes when I look at the issue and I feel that it is not very
convenient for me, because he is the head of the family, I will accept it.
There is the feeling that soldiers are
aggressive in nature and have no human face. How have you been able to manage
your marriage to a colleague such that the man of the battlefield is different
from the man at home?
Wanda: When people talk about
soldiers being very brutal, I don’t subscribe to it; I don’t believe that
soldiers are brutal. Yes, generally with our training as soldiers, we use some
bits of aggression – but controlled aggression – to get a job done. But when it
comes to the home front, we must distinguish between outside and home. What I
do is that whenever we get home, we drop the insignias and now know that this
is the home front. Of course, being in the army together has given us some
leverage and advantage because we complement each other in the service. If she
has challenges, she can bring them home and we will sort them out together just
like during the course; we did things together and sorted out issues together.
If there are certain things she doesn’t understand, she can ask me – we can ask
each other, complementing each other not only in the family but also on the job
itself. That is the advantage.
When it comes to family life, as I said earlier,
we jettison insignias and ranks, we live as a family, we fear God and we put
God first in all we do. When you look at Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 25, it tells
you the role of a man; you should love your wife. That love is always there. Of
course, in any home, you have challenges. When challenges come, you try to sort
it out through the principles laid down in the Bible.
What is the biggest challenge in your
marriage?
Wanda: There are challenges and
the biggest one I know is about postings. There is a specific one: When I was
in Liberia – I was there for almost three years – in the 90s, she was here with
our son. When I came back, our son could hardly recognise me. Those days, we
could stay on operations for a long time. It was a big challenge. Of course,
some of these things are the things to consider when young people want to
marry. You must think about it, knowing that being a soldier, that possibility
of separation for a long time will be there. Take that into consideration
before getting into the marriage. The longest was that time I was in Liberia
and she was here in Nigeria. Of course, some postings come and she will be
there and I will be here. We’ve overcome that and we have forged ahead with our
lives.
Akagu: Like he said, when they
(postings) come, by God’s grace, we have always conquered.
What kind of feedback do you get from
people when you’re both in your military uniform and they know that you’re a
couple?
Akagu: When we go out and
soldiers see us, they salute and we will be the ones that will respond. That is
military.
Wanda: When people see us
together, they might not even know that we are a couple in the first place. And
when they get to know that these two persons are a couple, they are surprised:
‘Oh, look at them,’ they said. People are scared seeing the two married
generals or colonels. There is always that fear and people have always
expressed amazement. We tell them it is by God’s grace. Some will be bold
enough to come and ask, ‘Are you actually married?’ ‘Of course, we are married
and we have been living together all these years.’
When you were pregnant or nursing a baby
and your husband was far away from you, how did you cope with that?
Akagu: By nature, I am a very
strong person. He would always tell me that pregnancy was not a sickness. I
happen to be the first female finance officer, so I have female friends. They
always come and are always there for me.
Do you cook and do house chores like most
women?
Akagu: Right on the table now,
you will see the food I just cooked this afternoon.
Wanda: I just finished eating
her food.
Akagu: Of course, I have to
cook.
Would you encourage your children to join
the military?
Wanda: We have two children and
we have given them a choice. They have options to choose from. If they choose
to join the military, it is fine with me. But I cannot ask or influence them to
join the military. What we did was to express our open mind: ‘If you want to
join, fine; if you don’t want to join, fine too.’ The way it is now, they
have chosen not to join the military.
What are the reasons your children gave
for not wanting to follow your military footpaths?
Wanda: They have not given any
specific reason but I feel that maybe they are feeling overwhelmed with what I
will call ‘flooding’ or ‘impulsion.’ Their father is a soldier, their mother is
a soldier and they may want to experience a different kind of life – a simple
life. All their life, they have been in the barracks with regimented life and
things like that. Maybe over time, they want to have a different life
experience.
Does it mean you don’t socialise at all?
Wanda: We socialite a lot. We
have civilian friends, we go out; we go to church and we go to parties sometimes.
We go to get-togethers and things like that.
With your experience, would you allow your
children to marry a soldier?
Akagu: Like he said, if they
want to marry a soldier, so be it.
What are the challenges ahead that you
will prepare them for?
Akagu: If my daughter wants to
marry a soldier, I will tell her about my experiences. You cannot have your
husband always to yourself because there will be instances when he can go to
war or be posted (away) and you can be alone with the children.
How does it feel when your husband is at
the battlefront somewhere and you’re home alone with the children?
Akagu: Let me share my
experience with you: I think I was a major then and the war in Liberia then was
very terrible. I went to see my commander. He asked me, ‘Have you heard from
your husband?’ I said, ‘no.’ Then, he said, ‘Is he dead? Maybe he is
dead.’ I said, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because the Bible says
that my husband will not die by the edge of a sword.’ We are Christians and
that is our promise as soldiers. What I do in most cases is pray. There are
some instances when there were really issues because of the war. I was always
on my knees.
Are there times when he was home and you
were posted away?
Akagu: Of course, I was in Minna
(Niger State). Sometimes, I have to go on a course and I have to leave the home
and keep the children in the hostel in school. I have worked in Minna, I have
worked in Makurdi; there are instances like that.
How do you manage the home when you are
left with the children?
Wanda: When it comes to our
relationship at home, it is not as if there is a hard and fast rule; there is
no rigid line that must be followed. If she is not here and I am here, I will
do my best to take care of the children and do all I can for them. If she is
the one at home, she will take care of them. The roles are not rigid. It is to
ensure that our children grow up well. That is what happens. Our base is in
Lagos but sometimes I am in Kaduna and she is in Minna. We still remain in
touch with the children, depending on where they are. Again, by the times the
postings started coming, they had already grown up.
While you were on the battlefield in
Liberia, what went through your mind each time you remembered that you had a
wife and children back home?
Wanda: Mine was a little bit of
worry in the sense that I wanted to come back to them alive. As she said, that
time was very terrible. So many things happened in Liberia. I missed them. I
wanted to come back and be with them. I was not worried because I know the kind
of woman that I married. I know she is capable of taking care of them when I am
not there. That was my first consideration for the marriage. That is why I used
to call her ‘small man’ because she has the ability to rise to every challenge.
I didn’t have that fear. I knew she was able to hold on until I return.
Have you had any embarrassing moment as a
female soldier?
Akagu: I used to be a very proud
soldier. Those days, we used to wear khakis and I always wanted my uniform to
be well-ironed and the trousers to be straight. As a result of that, I used to
trek from Obalende to Army Headquarters here (Bonny Camp) because when I sat
down, the trousers would be folded and I would not look as neat as I always
wanted to be. There was an instance I was to share a lift with a general and
the man looked at me and said, ‘I’m sure you’re not the one that ironed this
uniform.’ I looked at him and asked, ‘Why did you say that?’ When we came out
of the lift, a soldier told me, ‘Ah, he is a general.’ I said, ‘Wow! You should
have told me. I would have asked him for the secret of his success.’ I
was always very full of myself; very proud and always wanted to be very neat.
What I also noticed is that when people see us (female soldiers), they always
feel like ‘these ones are women.’
How is the experience of growing through
the ranks to that of a brigadier general today?
Akagu: It has not been easy but
I thank God everything has been going well. Right from being a Second
Lieutenant to a Colonel, I run my seniority naturally with my male
counterparts. Like I said earlier, I happen to be the first female finance
officer. We all rose to Lieutenant Colonel. When I got to Lieutenant Colonel, I
got promoted twice. The third time, I was promoted to a Colonel. This time
around, I was promoted to a Brigadier General.
Wanda: I’ve always loved the
army. I also thank the successive Chiefs of Army Staff. Over time, they
considered me worthy to be promoted to the next rank. Of course, there are
challenges and hurdles but most of the Chiefs of Army Staff considered me fit
to be promoted up to this rank of Brigadier General. Also, they recognised the
services that I rendered. I am a medical doctor and ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat)
consultant, a consultant ENT surgeon and a Fellow of the West African College
of Surgeons and the National Post-Graduate Medical College. They (military
authorities) recognised these things and deemed me fit to be promoted.
Akagu: I am an accountant of the
Finance Corp. Presently, I am the Director of Army Accounts Inspectorate, Ojo.
How are your children now?
Akagu: Our first son is an
architect. He has a masters degree in architecture. He is in Abuja now for his
NYSC (National Youth Service Corps). He has a sister; she read biology in the
university. Apart from them, we also have foster children. We just wedded one;
she is heavily pregnant and we are expecting a baby anytime from now. We
also wedded one lady that the church gave to us to train. We married her out
last year. We are expecting a baby very soon. There is another girl that we
have; she is from the North. You can see that she has been distracting me. She
is the little one that we have in the house now.
There is a norm in the army that once your
wife is on the same rank with you, she is your senior by a step. How do you
feel when saluting her?
Wanda: She is the mother of the
house, so I have to salute her. I do salute her. We must respect our wives
apart from loving them. We must honour what they do because their work is not
easy. You will see a woman that will do the same work that you do and she will
still come back to prepare food and take care of the children. Women have a lot
of roles to play. I don’t mind saluting her because she is wearing one rank
higher as the mother of the house. Even now that she is wearing same rank (with
me) on the same shoulder, that means she is two steps higher than me.
Do you salute her in public too?
Wanda: Anywhere! I recognise her
and I respect her.
Akagu: Both of us are army
officers, we come back from work almost at the same time and I will still dash
to the kichen – sometimes in uniform – and ensure that I still play my role as
a wife and as a mother. But what is common these days is that young girls now
have this issue of ‘when we both do the same kind of work and when we come back
from work, men are stronger and they should be the ones to go to the kitchen.’
It is not realistic. Younger women should be able to emulate some of us to have
a successful home.
Source: Punchng.com
