The Nigerian Army as a force has the constitutional mandate to maintain the country’s territorial integrity. Therefore, a succinct reminiscence on the history of the Nigerian Army is desirable as my point of departure, to aptly illustrate the milestones so far covered by our noble institution. The history of the Nigerian Army could be traced to 1863, when Lieutenant Glover of the Royal Navy organized 18 indigenes of Northern Nigerian into a local force known as the “Glover Hausas”. This local force metamorphosed and eventually became part of a larger body established by Lord Fredrick Lugard in 1889, which was named the West African Frontier Force (WAFF) in 1890. The Nigerian Army has since then undergone several transformations with consequent changes in name and structure which include the Nigerian Regiment, Queen’s Own Nigerian Regiment, and the Nigerian Military Force. At Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, it became known as the Royal Nigerian Army, and finally the “Nigerian Army” in 1963, when Nigeria attained Republican Status.
