•2nd Lt. Oluchukwu Owowoh’s Sandhurst feat shows innate human strength, no matter the sex

Gender, in development studies, connotes innate human strength, regardless of outward sexes, though some feminists often seize the term to push female entitlement.

Second-Lieutenant Oluchukwu Owowoh, the first Nigerian female cadet officer to graduate from the Royal Military Academy (RMA), Sandhurst, UK, just proved gender in its most pristine sense: what a man can do, a woman too can – a solid and brilliant achievement, shorn of any sloganeering.

That explains why the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, herself a woman of quality, wasted no time to toast and celebrate the epochal feat of this young and promising military officer.

“Your story is that of aspiration, resilience and determination. Really, your case is divine. It is not because you studied very hard but because God selected you for a purpose,” the First Lady gushed, at her special reception for Lt. Owowoh. “It is going to be from glory to glory,” she prayed. “That is why we are here to celebrate you for what you have done.”

Indeed, what Lt. Owowoh has done is well and truly remarkable, from the testimony by Major-Gen. John Ochia, the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, (NDA) Zaria, and the young officer’s chaperon to her reception at Aso Villa, Abuja.

Perhaps the news – as glorious as that was – is not that at Sandhurst, she trumped other cadets, male or female, from India, Pakistan, Quatar, Canada, Australia and UK itself – a solid gem of excellence in both brain and brawn: a summary for the rigour of military training.

The real news is the build-up to Sandhurst where, at the NDA, Lt. Owowoh had to establish and re-establish herself, which would have been unnecessary, were she to be male.

Hear Gen. Ochia: “The significance of Owowoh’s case is that, in the course of training, we selected the best. She surpassed the record of over 200 male cadet officers when we did the selection. She came first but we doubted her.”

“If she was male, we would have left it at that,” he continued, “but because she is a female we tested her and she came first in academics, even in the physical training. She went through a tough process until her male colleagues even noticed that we do not have to go further.”

At RMA, one of the most iconic military academies in the world, she put everything together to trump the rest. It wasn’t quite reserving the best for the last. It was rather showcasing her normal brilliance and diligence on a more global stage. Yet at home, she still had to doubly prove herself which, as the General admitted, would have been unnecessary if she were male.

Which brings this legitimate question: if Lt. Owowoh had somewhat faltered, would it have been attributed to her sex? That question tugs at structural barriers against women, no matter their proven abilities: the so-called invisible glass ceiling.

We only hope the young woman has helped to shatter that ceiling, so much so that the next Owowoh, coming through the same military academy course, wouldn’t have to prove herself over and over again – unlike her male counterparts.

Still, it’s kudos to the Nigerian Army. They wanted the best. They searched for that very best. They never allowed male bias to blight that very best. That says something – and very positive too – for fairness in a male-dominated military setting.

If they had allowed male bias to water down merit, Nigeria would have been robbed of the Owowoh glory. We expect that clinical sticking to merit – and fairness – in every arm of the Nigerian military – and even the paramilitary security agencies. Only equal opportunity access can make everyone bloom; and make Nigeria a far better place.

As for young Lt. Owowoh, it’s a brilliant morning in her military career. If morning shows the day, her military career appears full of promise and sunshine. The Nigerian Army, with their prop so far, appears set to provide the support atmosphere to make her excel and realise her full potential.

Still, as the scriptures say, the beginning could amount to nothing if not matched by a roaring climax. That’s the challenge before this promising officer. She must keep on challenging herself, if she really wants the world to be at her feet.

The world at her feet would be glorious for the Nigerian Army, and also for her country, Nigeria, and its investment in her training and other officer cadets’.

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