The Nigerian Army, NYSC And The Marriage Proposal

Nigerian Internet Space Went, Wild Few Days Ago When The Video Of A Female Army Officer, Private Hannah Sofiat Afolabi Accepting A Marriage Proposal From A Male National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Member At The Orientation Camp In Yikpata, Kwara State, Broke Out. 

This Event Has Been Met With Mixed Reactions, However The Loudest One Has To Be The Condemnation Of The Nigerian Army For Detaining The Young Military Officer Over What It (The Nigerian Army) Described As A Violation Of The Institution’s Code Of Conduct. 

I Have Seen People Coming Out To Condemn The Reaction Of The Nigerian Army For Detaining The Lady Officer While Citing Examples Of Male Officers Who Have Also Publicly Proposed To Their Girlfriends Without Any Condemnation, Some Even saying The Institution Is Not Gender Balanced. 

I Do Not Wish To Be Misogynistic But I Strongly Believe The Military Is Right In Detaining Its Own Officer. There Are Many Reasons For My Standpoint But The Major One Is That She Violated The Nigerian Armed Forces Code Of Conduct.

As a Military Officer Who Is Supposed To Train The Paramilitary Corp Members Puts Her At An Advantaged Position, So It Is Safe To Say She Abandoned Her Primary Purpose On The Camp To Engage In Romantic Affairs With One Of Her Trainees – If this Was A Male Officer That Proposed To A Corp Member ‘While On Camp’, It Would Have Been Tagged Sexual Harassment. 

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Also, She Violated The Institution’s Code Of Conduct On The Usage Of The Social Media, Especially While On Military Outfit And On Military Duty. We Are All Aware Of The Recent Case Of Popular Instagram Comedian, Cute Abiola Who Was Also Detained For Violation Of The Usage Of The Internet Space While On Military Outfit. This Case Is Not Any Different, Hers Is Even Worse Because She Did It While On Duty And Went Further To Kiss The Male Corper While in the Military Regalia. 

It Is However Imperative For The Military To Find Out When The Relationship That Led To The Marriage Proposal Started. There Are Two Possible Instances:

A. If They Were Dating Before the Camp, How Long Have They Been Dating (There Is A Time Frame In The Nigerian Armed Forces Code Of Conduct As To When An Officer Can Get Married After Signing Up), This Will Also Lead To How They Ended Up In The Same Orientation Camp – Coincidence Or Incident? 

B. If The Relationship Started Within The Less Than 3 Weeks NYSC Camping Period, Then It Implies That They Have Been Involved In A Romantic Affair While On Camp, Which Again Is Against The Standing Code Of Conduct. 

Lastly, Before We Condemn Or Gaslight The Nigerian Army For The Way It Is Handling The Situation, We Need To Remember That The Military Is Like A Cult With strict Rules And Regulations, The Female Officer Knew What She Signed Up For When She Took The Job, Hence She Should Face The Consequences Of her Actions.

Ola Oladipupo Samson
From The UAE