The Director and senior staff of the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Center visited the South African Naval Museum in Simon’s Town on Monday 08 April 2024. The Heritage and Future Center is located in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria and was established to create a “think-tank” for the future development of the Army and to train competent dedicated officers. The center also serves as a research establishment while adding value to the Army by preserving its history and learning from lessons of operations through critical analysis.
Although a National War Museum does exist in Umuahia in the south of Nigeria, the creation of an own independent Nigerian Army Museum in Abuja has been a strong ideal in recent years. The team therefore set out to visit several leading military museums in South Africa during a week-long stay in the country with the aim to benchmark and learn.
Following their arrival in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 07 April, the first “port of call” was the Naval Base Simon’s Town where the Director General, Major General Obinna Ajunwa paid a courtesy call on Flag Officer Fleet, Rear Admiral Musawenkosi Nkomonde at Fleet Command Headquarters.

The South African Naval Museum was the first “museum-stop” for the group. The Officer-in-Charge, Commander Leon Steyn provided the group with a briefing on the history of military museums in South Africa and then focussed on aspects of museum management and its functions inclusive of cultural, society, environmental and economic aspects. An hour-long guided tour of the museum provided time to discuss practical aspects of museum work.

Group photo: Fltr – Major N.C. Anyikwa (Military Assistant), Wing Commander N.M. Halilu (Military Assistant), Colonel M.C. Shabalala (Defence Intelligence), Major General A.I. Taiwo (Dean Faculty of Future Casting), Major General O.C. Ajunwa (Director General), Commander L. Steyn (Officer in Command Naval Museum), Major General G.T. Ajetunmobi (Dean Faculty of Training Research), Ms N. Magwaza (Defence & Space Industry), Brigadier General N.B. Ebulue (Dean Heritage).The Nigerian Army visit follows another benchmarking tour that saw a Uganda People’s Defence Force delegation visit South Africa in August 2022. This team visited South African military museums (which included the Naval Museum) with similar aims to establish a military museum near the River Katonga Bridge on the Kampala-Masaka Highway in Mpigi District.
This recent trend and intent – to establish new military museums in Africa – points to a new and exciting era. Such a revitalization and appreciation of its own military history and heritage should be commended and supported.

Article by Commander Leon Steyn || South African Naval Museum and Photographs by Chief Petty Officer Nkululeko Zulu.

(1) Nigerian Army Heritage and Future… – SA National Defence Force | Facebook