Abyssinia Battalion came out tops to clinch victory at the 2016 Cadet Brigade Inter Battalion Obstacle Crossing Competition which was conducted at the Permanent Site of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) with a crossing time of 27mins 12seconds with least penalty time to grab the 1st position. Dalet battalion took the 2nd position with a crossing time of 26mins 26secs with more penalty time while the 3rd position went to Mogadishu battalion with a crossing time of 26mins 59secs with much penalty time and Burma battalion which took 4th position with crossing time 25mins 34secs with maximum penalty time.



Cadets Brigade Inter Battalion Obstacle Crossing Competition is one of the major training events in the NDA calendar of events that is structured to match real battle life condition which among other things encourage team work, leadership qualities, engender physical endurance, a good spirit of sportsmanship and esprit-de-corps among the Cadets. It is a course that all the medically fit Cadets from the four regular battalions-Abyssinia, Burma, Dalet and Mogadishu are expected to participate.



The obstacles which the Cadets are expected to cross successfully are 2ft Clear jump, 4ft Gate vault, Barbed wire, 6/5ft Wall, Ramp, Scramble net and 10/9ft Wall. Others are Hand Bridge, Tarzan rope, 6 /5 ft Ditch, Tunnel and Vertical horizontal rope all in the midst of simulated gun fire and explosion. The obstacle crossing which was flagged off by the Deputy Commandant Air vice Marshal CE Okoye commenced immediately after a one kilometer race.



Announcing the result, the Chief Judge, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) MO Momoh said that 1120 cadets took part in the competition. He went on to announce the 3 best female and 3 best male Cadets from every battalion.
 In Burma battalion, the 3 best female Cadets, NDA 9572 KO Sani with a crossing time of 7mins 49secs, NDA 9932 AK Ake in 9mins 34secs and NDA 9909 HH Adams in 10mins 03secs took the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively, while in the male category, NDA 9968 MA Damulak with a crossing time of 6mins 43secs, NDA 9225 D Kubuwa in 7mins 43secs and NDA 9981  A Usman in 7mins 53secs took the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.



In Abyssinia battalion, the females that came 1st, 2nd and 3rd are NDA 9608 ME Tumba with a crossing time of 7mins 34secs, NDA 10102 F Bako in 10mins 04secs and NDA 9465 AA Abubakar in 10mins 13secs while in the male category, NDA 9454 MK Iduma with a crossing time of 6mins 59secs, NDA GS Udoh in 7mins 24secs and NDA 9692 A Abdulwahab in 7mins 16secs took the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.



Lt Col MM Momoh also announced that in Dalet Battalion , the following female cadets NDA 10404 FE Uduayo with a crossing time of 7mins 01sec, NDA 10100 RO Oyetunde in 7mins 52secs and NDA 9520 FO Abdulsalam in 10mins 41secs took the 1st 2nd and 3rd positions respectively while in the male category, NDA 10056 MM Halilu with a crossing time of 6mins 27secs grabbed the 1st position, leaving the 2nd position to NDA 9571 AB Alabi in 8mins 01sec while the 3rd spot went to NDA 10053 EP Mangi in 8mins 02secs.



And in Mogadisu battalion, female cadets NDA 9794 AR Alhassan with a crossing time of 8mins 10secs, NDA 9755 HA Dogo in 8mins 13secs and NDA 10451 UP Echefu in 10mins 49secs took the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. While their male counterparts NDA 9729 EO Nsegomijo with a crossing time of 7mins 01sec came 1st, NDA 9585 A Atiku in 7mins 18secs took 2nd and NDA 9745 U Hanna in 7mins 20secs had the 3rd position.

However, the highlight of the evening came when Lt Col MO Momoh announced the best overall female and male cadets. For the best overall female Cadets, NDA 10404 FE Uduayo of Dalet battalion came tops with a crossing time of 7mins 01sec while NDA 9608 ME Tumba of Abyssinia battalion took the 2nd position in 7mins 34secs and the 3rd position went to NDA 9572 KO Sani of Burma battalion in 7mins 49secs while in the male category NDA 9968 MA Damulak of Burma battalion came 1st with a crossing time of 6mins 11secs. 2nd position went to NDA 10056 MM Halilu of Dalet battalion in 6mins 27secs while the 3rd position went to NDA 9554 FK Iduma of Abyssinia battalion in 6mins 59secs.



In his remarks, the Special Guest of Honour and the Commandant NDA, Major General MT Ibrahim expressed his utmost satisfaction with the competition noting that it marked one of the watersheds in the career of the Cadets. He explained the importance of speed to get across demolition obstacles and the need for carefulness which ensures safety in the crossing of obstacles. He urged the Cadets to marry speed and care in order to accomplish their training goals. He encouraged them to tackle obstacles which abound in their lives and careers and develop the ability to surmount them which makes them real officers. He stressed that the underlying lesson in obstacle crossing is the philosophy behind the obstacle which is strategy, operation and tactics which he noted depicts military exercises in real life interpretation. The Commandant further adviced the Cadets to always remain focused in order to consistently produce the best results urging them to persevere, endure and be disciplined. He congratulated the winner battalion for their unmatchable feat, dexterity and urged the other battalions to take a cue from the winners in order to address their errors and improve on their performance. He however commended Burma battalion saying that none of them was demoralized showing spirit of sportsmanship in conceding defeat.

The Special Guest of Honour commended the Panel of Judges, Battalion Commanders, Cadet Brigade Commander and other officers, soldiers and staff who worked tirelessly with dexterity and thoroughness towards a successful exercise.


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