Bature practically swept all the awards
on offer during the Passing out Parade at the Nigerian Defence Academy,
Kaduna. He was so outstanding his statue was unveiled to perpetuate the
memory of his sheer brilliance, focus, hard work and exceptional life of
discipline.
According to military sources, by having
his life size statue erected at the NDA (a relatively new tradition in
the academy), he joins other exceptional cadets before him in the
military Hall of Fame.
But he surpasses them all still: 2nd
Lieutenant Ahmed Buhari Bature has set a record that will be difficult
to match, much less beaten.
22-year-old Bature, from Sokoto State, is described by officers at the NDA as charismatic, hardworking and highly disciplined.
When
a child does well, the whole village celebrates him. An elated
spokesman to Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State announced on
Twitter and Facebook: “He won every accolade on offer. A statue was
errected in his honor.”
Bature joined the academy in 2012 to
study for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Computer Science.
Through his consistent, sheer brilliance and discipline, he was said to
have become a prep winger within a short time.
This means he was training other cadets who joined the academy for short service.
It
is said that his going to England for further training at the Royal
Military Academy in Sandhurst had to be deferred because he had become
so valuable at training and mentoring other cadets.
He not only
emerged the best in his department; in the final year of his training at
the academy, he emerged as the Academy Cadet Adjutant (ACA).
The
ACA, according to military sources, is the most senior/powerful cadet,
and more or less the de facto administrator of his set in the academy.
He oversees all the affairs of his (cadet) set and liaises with the
military authorities in the academy on their behalf.
He is
respected (indeed, feared) by his set and exercises vicarious authority
on behalf of the military leadership in areas of discipline, welfare,
training, drills and so on.
Usually, only cadets with exceptional
all-round brilliance, and who have shown consistent promise (in all
areas of training, academics, discipline, etc) are chosen as Academy
Cadet Adjutant.
It is said that an ACA is a potential future Chief of Army Staff, and is so prized, protected and honoured.
As
ACA (reportedly the youngest so far), Bature is said to have
‘administered’ over 2,300 cadets, possibly the largest ever in the
history of the academy.
Saturday Tribune gathered from reliable
military sources that Bature has, indeed, set a record as the first
cadet ever in the NDA to have swept all the honours available the way he
did.
Young Bature was said to have shone like a star during the Passing out Parade, as he was repeatedly called to receive awards.
Some
of those awards include the ‘Indian Shield’, which is given to the best
in cadet tactics; ‘Gold Medal Army’, which is given to the overall best
among the army (cadets); and the ‘Golden Sword of Honour’, given to the
best all-round cadet in academics, military courses, character and
discipline.
The Sokoto State chapter of the National Youth
Council is already celebrating him as a worthy ambassador for the
youths, especially of Sokoto State.
A statement by the chairman
of the council, Bello Bala Shagari, says Bature has become “a role model
who has proven his worth and that of the young people of Sokoto State.
“We
at the Youth Council believe that if the youth of Sokoto State are
given the chance, such hardworking and excellent qualities that are
inherent in our young people will come to light,” it state.
It
then called on government of the state to continue the good work of
identifying gifted young people of Sokoto State and honouring them in
the best way possible.
“Insha Allah, we will all live to see 2nd
Lt Ahmed Buhari Bature become a General in the Nigerian army; the kind
of General that Nigeria and the world at large will be proud of.”
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