Once a Soldier Always a Soldier
By Bala Ibrahim
A childhood friend of mine came to Abuja from Kafanchan. He called to inform me that he was in town on a mission to witness the pull out parade of Gen. Christopher Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria. I paid him a visit at his abode, where I met other friends that I haven’t seen in a long time. It was indeed a beautiful reunion, that permitted reflective reminiscence. We talked about many things, including the good, the bad and the ugly. Yes, once old friends meet, they behave like the soldiers, whose mind-set is moulded with emphasis on the mentality of military values and habits of lifelong service. They would reminisce on the past. And in doing so, they do it without regards to whether they are in or out of active service. So my friends and I reminisced, with nostalgia, on the good old days.
But that’s not the crux of the matter. The most decisive and interesting part of our discussion centred on the purpose of my friend’s visit, which was to witness the pull out of a soldier. I said why, when you are not a soldier? And that’s when the beautiful part of the conversation commenced. Almost in ceaseless succession, each and everyone of them, but me, had something good, very good, to say about Gen. Christopher Musa. Well, I don’t know him, so I had nothing to say, but the quantum of encomiums coming from the mouths of those that know him, made a good listening to me. Indeed their remarks made me appreciate the real reason behind the crafting of the word eulogy, by those who must have constructed it.
On the strength of the kind of things they said about the man, my mind momentarily thought the word was created to address the sterling qualities of this officer and gallant gentleman, Gen. Christopher Musa. Few days before my meeting with these “old soldiers”, I had a phone conversation with another good friend, whose encomiums on Gen. Christopher Musa were as laudable, or even more laudable. I didn’t give it any special attention because my friend is a retired military officer. I thought he was only talking in the spirit of esprit de corps. But coming from the mouths of these civilian friends, I developed special interest.
They all painted the picture of a man that represented the core values of loyalty, dedication to duty, reciprocal respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal love for one’s country, with a rare courage. Like I said, I don’t know him, so my assessment of him is based on what those that know him said. However, as a media man, I haven’t seen a senior military officer, a CDS for that matter, with the kind of media friendliness demonstrated by Gen. Christopher Musa rtd. For that alone, I say, God bless you General Musa. Everyone, including me from the media, would miss you and your media friendliness.
To further prove his passion, patriotism for his country, profession and the brotherhood, at the pull-out parade, in a speech that was touching to the point of emotions, General Christopher Musa rtd, said and I quote, “the end has come but I remain a soldier. As I hang my uniform today, I do so with a clear conscience, knowing that I gave my all. Despite retiring from active service, I remain a soldier at heart and loyal to Nigeria. Defeat is temporary, but victory is forever and Nigeria is a nation worth fighting for”. To me, this is a clear demonstration of patriotism. He didnt just stop there, Gen. Musa called for increased collaboration among security agencies and urged Nigerians to support and pray for the troops.
The message in the farewell speech was simple: a soldier is always a soldier. Although he was bowing out, his heart is with the troops and he wants his countrymen and countrywomen, to keep faith with the people of his constituency-the military. This is a spirit that transcends the soldier’s time. It quietly reflects the sentiment of once you are part of the brotherhood you will always be a part for the remainder of your life. Yes, every soldier is a leader of character for a lifetime, in or out of service. And Gen. Christopher Musa had made the pronouncement loud and clear. Like those that left the service before him, may Allah continue to guide and help them, because they gave their today for the tomorrow of our country, Nigeria.
