Chief Onyema Ugochukwu has shared a story from his time as a soldier during the Nigerian Civil War. He disclosed that he was quickly promoted, from under-officer straight to full Lieutenant but soon after that, he was badly injured in combat.Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust TV, Ugochukwu said he got shot, lost his thumb, and took a bullet in his leg. He said the injuries were serious enough to take him off the battlefield for some time.
However, even though he hadn’t fully recovered, his battalion still chose him to serve as the adjutant Ugochukwu said that while the role of adjutant is mostly administrative, it still involved responsibilities close to the front line In Ugochukwu’s words: “I had double promotion from under-officer to full Lieutenant and then I got shot, my thumb was cut off and I had a bullet through my leg and things like that. That took me out of action for a while, but even before I had fully recovered, the battalion appointed me adjutant of the battalion. So I had to go back, but adjutant is more administrative but it also could give you some functions in the forward line”