The Nigerian Army has conducted a historic Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade in Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital presided over by the Reviewing Officer and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, President Mohammadu Buhari.
The 2023 Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade held at the Eagles Square in the heart of the capital city Abuja witnessed the retiring and replacing of 53 unit colours and the issuance of 28 new ones.
The colours are presented to Combat and combat support units or Regiments are newly established and operationalised units whose colours are damaged, old or worn out.
The proceedings of the event began with the arrival of the Reviewing Officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari where 305 officers and 121 soldiers had mounted Guards and ready for inspection.
This was followed by the colourful musical display and presentation by the Nigerian Army band to entertain the dignitaries present at the event, followed by the Trooping of the old National and unit Regimental colours for the last time before they were retired by Unit’s Regimental Sergent majors.
The old Regimental colours were collected from the senior non-commission officers, passed through the ranks in a slow match and required all present to stand while the personnel saluted in respect to the service rendered by the retiring flags. This is symbolic of a uniform that has served for a long term, and a unit is disbanded or worn and torn out are retired and handed to the Quarter Master before they marched out of the parade ground (ceremonial retreat) for onward keep in the Nigerian Army Museum.
Interlude salute
Following the retreating of the old flag, the Quarter Master Marched forward to set up new colours that are presented to the units whose colours had worn out or retired as well as the new units added.
The Quarter Master for the event Major AA Abubakar marched forward to receive the new colours and flags which stand as a rallying point for the units, and placed them on the ceremonial drums, to be issued to various units. Prayers were made by the clergy over the flags before the units represented by the 7 Guards Battalion (Presidential Guards) marched forward to receive the new National Flags and Regimental Colours.
The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari received the new flags and handed them over before the Quarter Master takes the new colours to the units for induction where they are marched up in the parade ground as the President mounts the podium for the entry of the colours into the parade ground in slow and quick time.
Salute musical interlude
As the ceremony winds down, the President and Commander-in-Chief presents a Commemorative Coin to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, before the Final salute to the troops by the President.
The Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade is the only parade where regimental Sergeant majors are allowed to draw their swords. Coincidentally, the 82 Battalion which was once commanded by President Muhammadu Buhari was among the units inspected at the parade and colour presentation ceremony by the President.
The occasion of the 2023 Nigerian Army Trooping and Presentation of Colours Parade was graced by former heads of state, members of the Federal Executive Council, members of the diplomatic Corps, Senior officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association, the media and members of the public.
Dominica Nwabufo
