Retired Colonel Anthony Otu-Nyiam has spoken about the opportunities Nigeria once provided to young military officers, highlighting how the country invested heavily in their education and career development.
Speaking during an interview on The Legacy Series, Otu-Nyiam reflected on his early years in the military, noting that he and many of his colleagues benefited from scholarships both within Nigeria and abroad. According to him, the system at the time enabled individuals from modest backgrounds to rise through the ranks based on merit and access to education.
Drawing from personal experience, Otu-Nyiam emphasized the role mentorship and institutional support played in shaping military leaders. He specifically referenced his interaction with former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, who served as his superior in the military engineering corps. He said, “General Olusegun Obasanjo was my boss in the military Engineers. If you look at him, he was from a very poor background.”
The retired colonel used the example to illustrate how Nigeria’s system at the time created pathways for individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status, to achieve prominence. He suggested that such structures helped build a professional and disciplined military leadership rooted in competence and exposure…See More
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