Navy Produces First Female Rear Admiral

Navy Produces First Female Rear Admiral

The Nigerian Navy has produced its first female Rear Admiral, Itunu Hotonu.

She was decorated by President Goodluck Jonathan along with 22 other senior officers of the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force promoted to the ranks of Rear Admirals and Air Vice Marshals at the Army Headquarters Officers' Mess in Abuja .

The President said that with the remarkable feat of Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu, he had been discussing with the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs on training of women as regular combatant officers at the Nigerian Defence Academy , Kaduna .

He congratulated the newly promoted officers and called for more women's participation in the nation's military.

In his words, “So, when will I see Nigerian women flying jets? We will want to start training women at the NDA to become regular combatant officers, those who are strong enough to face the rigours, in some years to come, maybe the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) can be a woman.”

Challenges Ahead

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar, who later decorated 36 Air Commodores at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force, told the officers that their carriage, comportment, utterances, loyalty and character must at all times meet up with expectations of persons of their status.
The Flag Officer Commanding Western Command, Emmanuel Ogboche Ogbor, also tasked the newly-elevated Naval officers to use their position to improve the state of the Nigerian Navy in tackling contemporary challenges.

Ogbor said what was expected of the new Naval officers was commitment in service, saying that their promotion was a call to higher responsibilities.

Te newly promoted generals said they would live up to the responsibilities of safeguarding and defending the country.

The new Generals

Among the newly-promoted Rear Admirals to their present appointments include J. A. Akinwale (Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters; A.O.A. Ikioda (Chief of Logistics, NHQ); Commodore Ogechi Ebenezer Osuagwu, Moses Akpa and Bum Stephen Korand.

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