Man O' War is a voluntary paramilitary organization in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, founded in 1951.

History

Early history

Man O' War traces its origins to 1951 when the Man O' War Bay was established in Southern Cameroon, near

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...

and

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the Southwest Region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous ...

, by

Alec Dickson Dr Alexander Graeme Dickson CBE (23 May 1914 – 23 September 1994) was the founder of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). Dickson graduated from Oxford University in 1935 and worked as a foreign correspondent in Central Europe during the rise of H ...

. The organization was inspired by the principles of the British Outward Bound School. One of the early adopters of Man O' War ideals was the Hope Wadell Training Institute in

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...

. Notably, Sasa Ita Nsemoh and Ebiri Oteiri Okoro, who later became influential figures in Man O' War, were students at this institute and participated in various activities, including membership in the Boys Scouts and the Man O' War Club.

Establishment of the Man O' War Club, University of Ife

In 1971, Sasa Ita and Ebiri Okoro, fresh graduates of the Hope Wadell Training Institute, entered the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1972. Their experiences as Man O' War members and their involvement in the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

(1967 – 1970) inspired them to create an organization aimed at instilling self-reliance, discipline, and physical fitness in university students. The University of Ife's vice chancellor, Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, supported their proposal, and the Emir of Kano, the Ooni of Ife, and the

Obi of Onitsha The Obi of Onitsha is the traditional leader of Onitsha, Anambra State, southeast Nigeria. The post of the Obi is recognized by the state and federal government of Nigeria, and the Obi is seen as a representative of the people of Onitsha to the ...

became

Patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the club. On 5 May 1973, the Man O' War Club, University of Ife, was established. The club received official recognition from the university's Director of Student Affairs (DSA) and became a prominent student organization within the institution. On 21 January 1974, the club was allocated a training base within the university campus, and it received support from subsequent vice chancellors. The

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

also recognized the club's potential and provided logistical support.

Expansion and influence

The success of the Man O' War Club at the University of Ife inspired the creation of similar units at other universities. In 1976, additional units were established at the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

, Ado Bayero University in November 1977, and the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

by 1984.

National Union of Man O' War Cadets in Colleges and Higher Institutions of Nigeria (NUMOWCHIN)

NUMOWCHIN was established in 1981 with the aim of unifying Man O' War Cadets in higher institutions across

. Ifeolu Adewumi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Man O' War cadets at the University of Ife, was elected as the first Supreme Commandant (National President) of NUMOWCHIN. In recent years, NUMOWCHIN has experienced internal tensions and reduced acceptability among higher institution students. Efforts to reconcile conflicting parties within NUMOWCHIN in 2000 failed due to allegations of misconduct by the

Auchi Polytechnic Auchi Polytechnic is a Federal Polytechnic in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria. It is one of the first four Polytechnics established in Nigeria. It has over 10,000 students enrolled in business, technology, environmental and arts courses. It is locat ...

cadets.

Revival efforts

Recent efforts have been made to revive NUMOWCHIN. Chief Coordinators from various Man O' War cadets agreed on the necessity of deliberate efforts to revive NUMOWCHIN during a Passing out Parade (PoP) ceremony held at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in 2006. Similar efforts are underway in other geopolitical zones of

Organizational structure

Man O' War operates with a

hierarchical structure A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an importan ...

, including: * National Command: Comprising all 6 Regional Commands. * Regional Command: Comprising all 36 State Commands, FCT Abuja, and Railway Command. * State Command: Comprising all Area Commands. * Area Command: Comprising Multiple Units. * Unit: The smallest base of Man O' War Nigeria. * NUMOWCHIN (Cadet): Comprising all Units in Primary, Secondary Schools, and Tertiary Institutions.

Vision and mission

Man O' War Nigeria envisions a nation where people and communities coexist in peace, harmony, and mutual respect through sustainable community development, contributing to the socio-political and economic well-being of the nation in alignment with the Citizenship & Leadership Training Centre's goals. The mission of Man O' War is to direct human resources towards rendering community services and creating unique life experiences that promote self-awareness.

Establishment of Man O' War

The establishment of Man O' War is governed by Section 8b of the Military Act, operating as a Uniform Organization with a ranking structure under the centre's supervision. The organization focuses on training for responsible leadership, safety & rescue, good citizenship, social & security services, and community development. It also serves as a reserve force for security agencies and is involved in community policing and security observations. Man O' War has formations in all

Nigerian states Nigeria is a federation of 36 states, each of which is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares power with the federal government as enumerated under the Constitution of Nigeria, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In additi ...

, including Federal Capital Territory Command and Railway Command. Additionally, Man O' War cadets are present in primary schools, secondary schools, and higher institutions of learning.

History of Man O' War Bay Training Centre

Man O' War Bay Training Centre, later known as Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), was influenced by the outward bound type of education developed by

Kurt Hahn Kurt Matthias Robert Martin Hahn (5 June 1886 – 14 December 1974) was a German educator. He was decisive in founding Stiftung Louisenlund, Schule Schloss Salem, Gordonstoun, Outward Bound, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and the first of the U ...

. Han founded the first outward bound school in Aberdovey,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, in 1941.

, with an interest in community development, established the Man O' War Bay Training Centre in 1951 in Victoria, Southern Cameroon. It gained legal status through an ordinance published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 45 of 10 August 1960, and was modified by Decree No. 38 of December 1989. The Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre is an affiliate member of the Outward Bound Organization present in over fifty countries. It was the first in Africa and the second in the world, having trained over seven million Nigerians from various backgrounds in its more than fifty-four years of operation. The centre operates as an informal institution, using environmental challenges to instill core values such as courage, trust, integrity, and compassion for others in participants.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Youth organizations established in 1951 1951 establishments in Nigeria Paramilitary organizations based in Nigeria