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.