Lieutenant Commander Makinde: A Frame from the Ceremony which bestowed the Nigerian Navy its First Colours in 1968

AI-Enhanced frame of an Associated Press newsreel.

Lieutenant Commander Emmanuel Makinde (Aide-de-Camp to Rear Admiral Joseph Wey) strides behind Captain James Rawe (Principal Staff Officer and Commanding Officer of the Naval Base, Apapa, Lagos) at the ceremony at which the Head of State Major General Yakubu Gowon handed the Nigerian Navy its first colours after the staging of 4 successful amphibious assaults on secessionist-held territory during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970).

The landings took place at Bonny (July 1967), Warri, Sapele & Koko (September 1967), Calabar (October 1967) and Oron (March 1968).

The ceremony took place on Monday, 21^st October, 1968.

© Adeyinka Makinde (2026).

Adeyinka Makinde is a writer based in London, England.

Exhibiting the Shoulder Roll While Sparring in 1990

Sparring with Derrick in June 1990.

Google search terms: "Shoulder roll":

Google search result: "The shoulder roll is an advanced defensive boxing technique—often tied to the Philly Shell stance—where a fighter uses their leading shoulder to deflect incoming punches. Instead of catching a blow with gloves in a high guard, the boxer twists their torso and raises the front shoulder to roll the strike harmlessly off target while keeping the chin tucked."

© Adeyinka Makinde (2026).

Adeyinka Makinde is a writer based in London, England.

My father as part of the cortege accompanying the coffin of the slain military head of state Major General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi

Enhanced frame from a newsreel produced by Associated Press. My father Lieutenant Emmanuel Makinde is the figure at the top right corner of the image behind the senior police officer. In the foreground carrying the coffin are two of my Father's colleagues in the Nigerian Navy. The first might be Lieutenant Commander Akpayi Joe and behind him is Lieutenant Adekunle Lawal.

It was in January 1967 after the Aburi Conference where Lieutenant General Joseph Ankrah of Ghana sought to broker a peaceful resolution to the crisis between Nigeria's Eastern region and the rest of the Federation.

Part of the agreement provided that both Major General Ironsi and Lieutenant Colonel Francis Fajuyi -victims of the second coup of 1966- be exhumed from their graves at a military cemetery in Ibadan and be given state funerals in their hometown.

One year earlier on Monday, January 17^th, 1966 at the Parliament Building in Lagos, he had stood guard behind Ironsi and Commodore Joseph Wey -the Chief of Naval Staff- at the first press conference of the National Military Government held after the coup carried out two days earlier.

My Father served as Flag Lieutenant and Flag Secretary to Commodore Wey.

The cortege was mounted at Ikeja Airport, Lagos from where Ironsi’s remains were to be flown first to Enugu and then taken to Umuahia for burial.

© Adeyinka Makinde (2026).

Adeyinka Makinde is a writer based in London, England.