Nigeria Medal list

[peter monahan]

I like the cross.  And, I'm sure, the resemblance to a much more prestigious British award is purely coincidental.  Both fine looking medlas, in fact  but a shame the designers couldn't have come up with a more original and interesting ribbon design!

Several decades ago the school I was at in northern Nigeria was visited by the then head of state and the principal spent a pile of naira on paint, which he then gave out freely to the senior prefects.  By the day of the visit everything in sight including some of the slower moving junior students was decorated in green and white stripes, and it was months before it wore off the trees, rocks and buildings!  Blah!

[heusy68]

Hello Gentlemen,

About 3 Years ago, I had shown here a Nigeria Independence Medal (but one of the very early striking with medal struck separately from suspension). Ribbon charts refer also to another ribbon for the Independence Medal (sand yellow ith a tri-coloured central stripe orange, dark bleu, sky bleu). I recently purchased parts of the collection of an old friend, that had passed away 6 months ago.

So here is the Independence Medal of Nigeria with Civil Issue ribbon. it's a different striking of the medal, but it's NOT a recent one.

The medal is thick : 3,5 millimeters, with a  diameter of 36 millimeters.

I post a photo side by side with the Independence Medal (with military ribbon).

That Civil Issue ribbon, I never saw it before, nowhere (except in ribbon chart).

If anyone has a photo of any official from Nigeria wearing this Civil Issue ribbon, that would helps, or photo from the independence Celebration.

Regards.

    Emmanuel

Edited July 5, 2016 by heusy68

[Megan]

Fascinating... thank you for sharing.

So, is it your opinion that the coat of arms is the reverse, and the map/legend the obverse?

[peter monahan]

I can answer that, megan, having lived in Nigeria once.  Yes, the coat of arms is the obverse.  

I once spent an Independence day talking to Nigerian army officers, many of whom were wearing the medal.  I wanted to talk about the Ngerian Army, they wanted to talkm about the good bars in Fort Knox, Kentucky, where they'd done armour training.

[heusy68]

Hello,

I agree with you. Obverse side is the side with Coat of Arms, just that Civil Issue was "mounted" such a way, and long time ago.

Just for fun I will ounce buy on eBay a cheap and current issue Nigeria Independence, and then post them side by side. You will then see the difference. The quality of nowday is poor, the quality of the older medal shows crips détails, and that is something collector like.

Not so much amazed nigerian general are (were) more interested by drinking beer, rather than by their jobs............

    Emmanuel

[Antonio Prieto]

Operation Zaman Lafiya Medal

The 27 Task Force Brigade of the Nigeria Army in Yobe State, north-east Nigeria, has honoured its officers and men for their gallantry in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists.

 

At a ‘Medal Parade’ in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, all the officers and men involved in the operation “Zaman Lafiya” for a period of six months, were honoured with the medals.

Another category of the awards is the Nigerian Army Purple Heart Medal Award meant for those killed or injured while in active service.

At the ceremony in Damaturu, the State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, applauded the officers and men for giving their all, for the restoration of peace and stability in the troubled state.

 

Source: https://www.channelstv.com/2015/06/20/nigerian-army-honours-officers-in-yobe/

[peter monahan]

'OPERATION ZAMAN LAFIYA' is bugging the heck out of me! 

My very very rusty Hausa vocabulary and the use of several Hausa English dictionaries suggest that this phrase translates as either

           'zama' [to be] & 'lafiya' [happy, well] with the 'n' on 'zaman' being a grammatical form which connects the two words

OR

          'zaman' [war/conflict] & 'lafiya' [happy, well]. 

Lafiya is a common greeting  in Hausa common greeting in answer to a series of formal questions: 'How is your work? Lafiya.  'How is your tiredness?' Lafiya. etc.

So, it seems to translate as 'Operation Happy War' or 'Operation Being Happy/ Happiness'.  Which seems to suggest that the Nigerian federal army, like many others, has a department devoted to producing silly and undignified code names for military operations!

I can't say I care much for the colour scheme on the medal either, but thanks very much for sharing it, Antonio. 

Edited July 29, 2018 by peter monahan

[Antonio Prieto]

Thanks. Unfortunatelly I dont see any of the named "Nigerian Army Purple Heart Medal Award"

[BalkanCollector]

First time seeing Nigerian awards. I see they are greatly influenced by the UK.

[peter monahan]

On 20/08/2018 at 06:50, BalkanCollector said:

First time seeing Nigerian awards. I see they are greatly influenced by the UK.

Yes, part of the relics of colonialism, though when I was there in the early '80s mosty of the Army officers I met had trained in the US - many at Ft Knox.  I suspect, thought I've never checked, that early post-independence medals and awards were designed and struck in the UK and certainly the rank structure and so on mimc the British, as do most Commonwealth forces.  

[BalkanCollector]

4 hours ago, peter monahan said:

Yes, part of the relics of colonialism, though when I was there in the early '80s mosty of the Army officers I met had trained in the US - many at Ft Knox.  I suspect, thought I've never checked, that early post-independence medals and awards were designed and struck in the UK and certainly the rank structure and so on mimc the British, as do most Commonwealth forces.  

Interesting information, thanks!

[magu]

Hello folks

Here is my small submission...miniatures of  the Order of the Niger military and Order of the federal republic civil also included is pictures of the suspension pins and packaging as they would have been shipped from the mint (shrink wrapped polythene onto cardboard)

[Sgt Fury]

Just thought I'd post a photo of this recent addition to my collection for your reference as I haven't been able to find any pics on the net of this medal.

This one is a very well made copy and is sadly plated and not solid gold. Weighs in roughly the same as British WW2 campaign stars.

Garry

[heusy68]

Hello Garry,

I do not believe it's a well made copy, but it's the Nigeria Star, the gallantry award of Nigeria.

Even if the regulation states it shall be made of gold, I bet they were not. It's like the Malawi Cross (Malawi highest gallantry award), which shall be made of gold. The Malawi Cross, I got one, about 15 years ago, in metal gilt, and I do not believe it's a copy. I mean, the first order from manufacturer might have been in gold, and then the 2nd batch, because their government understood, it was too expensive, they ordered in Metal Gilt.

If ever you want to sell your cross, whenever. I would be very happy to buy it.

Best regards.

     Emmanuel

[Sgt Fury]

Hi Emmanuel,

Thanks very much for the comment and I think you could be right about the expense in producing this medal, it is very nice quality and unusually the sides of the ribbon are stitched up which I have never seen in my time collecting world medals.

I am now posting a pic of the miniatures and spare ribbon devices that I acquired along with this medal. The miniatures also have the sides of the ribbons stitched together.

I'll let you know if I ever decide to sell them !!  Thanks and best regards Garry

[Megan]

The latest issue of JOMSA crawled through my letterbox this morning with a fascinating article on Nigerian medals in it.

Wilschut, E. (2020) The Biafran Conflict and its Origins Described Through Medals. Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America 71(5):3-12.

It explains quite a lot about early Nigerian medals in general and answers some of the questions posed in this thread.

(Note that all JOMSAs are now digitised as well as printed, and you can get a digital-only subscription for $19.95 - a good investment as the journal is a real treasure-trove.)

[peter monahan]

Thanks for sharing this information, Megan. 

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

Nigerian Civil War - Wikipedia

 

A group of four medals :

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by No one

[ilja559]

Some photo

[ilja559]

Please, some info about this badge

[Megan]

Nigeria gained independence from the UK on 1 October 1960 - this is probably a souvenir badge from that time.