FOLLOWING the recent announcement by Mr. Adetokunbo Kayode, the Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that female candidates will now be admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy with effect from the 2011 academic session, many of those who read my book, ‘Thunder, Lightning & Storm’ have made contact to express ‘solidarity’ with me.

While I do not think I should share in the glory of a momentous and long overdue decision, I feel elated enough to want to situate this policy decision within the backdrop of what my novel espoused. Admittedly, authors simply write their thoughts and leave every other thing about their work to the imagination of critics.

For the benefit of those who may not have read the book, let me share a summary of its contents with them.

A team of daring scientists from a few countries got together to start a major and dangerous scientific enterprise off the Gulf of Guinea, whose overall aim was to manufacture long range missiles with thermonuclear warhead and use these to alter the global strategic balance.

This was similar to the OTRAG saga in the then Zaire several decades ago. These eggheads evade several international efforts to locate them.

They were almost concluding their dastardly mission before the Nigerian Armed Forces chanced upon the illicit scheme. Following a UN Security Council resolution giving credence to earlier resolutions by ECOWAS and the African Union, Nigeria is tasked with neutralising the enterprise. While all her three armed services were deployed, it was a single combat pilot in the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Flight Lieutenant Aminat Zechariah—who was to play a major role in taking out the project.

In the book, Aminat is credited with being ‘Nigeria’s first female combat pilot’ and she flew the NAF’s latest fighter aircraft, the F7NI, although graduating subsequently to flying the newly- acquired L-59 (Albatross Advanced Light Combat Aircraft) during the mission to crush the illegal missile project.

Those familiar with the Nigerian military will readily agree that it does not have any female combat pilot; neither does it currently have the L-59 in its inventory. In fact, the NAF has no female pilots at all, despite the fact that Nigerian girls have been flying for decades for airlines in the civil aviation industry.

One of the aims of my book, therefore, was not just to do an exposé of the exploits of the Nigerian Armed Forces in international peacekeeping (and peace-enforcement) operations, but also particularly to challenge the military establishment to give females a chance to fly for the Air Force.

I imagine that it was for the latter reason that I have been receiving mails from some of those who read the book to express ‘solidarity’ with me.

The Federal Government has now taken a bold decision to give women a chance to play a greater role in the defence forces consistent with the ideals of this work of fiction. It is instructive to note that since its establishment, the Nigerian Defence Academy has never admitted nor graduated any female cadet officer. It will therefore be a bigger challenge for the institution as it charts another milestone in its chequered history.

I feel that three people and one institution deserve credit for this landmark decision. First, credit should go to Major-General (Dr.) Aderonke Kale, the only female in Africa to set the record of attaining one-star and two-star generalship in any African Army (now equalled by Rear-Admiral Itunu Hotonu of the Nigerian Navy). I do not know her nor have I met her physically but she inspired ‘Thunder, Lightning & Storm.’

The second person deserving of commendation is  Mr. Adetokunbo Kayode, the Honourable Minister of Defence. He has demonstrated that he is forward-looking and courageous and is willing and able to put forward ideas that will reposition the Nigerian Armed Forces to becoming a truly professional and modern institution.

Thirdly, and considering that ‘the biggest masquerade always comes out last’, is Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of her Armed Forces. Without his sanction, this important decision would not have become a reality. It will be recorded that it was in his time that Nigerian girls began gaining a commission to command tanks and artillery units and possibly fly fighter aircraft.

The significance of this cannot be overestimated. Last but not the least is the domestic media that deserves mention for promoting, reviewing and doing a critique of the book.

‘Thunder, Lightning & Storm’ was a candidate entry for the 2010 Nigeria LNG Prize. It did not win in its category. Nonetheless, as the author, I have been greatly inspired first by this decision of government, and largely by the favourable comments I have received from serving and retired Nigerian and foreign senior military officers.

I have been encouraged by the support of journalists and especially art critics and editors in Nigeria who have challenged me to stretch this action-adventure genre further by writing a sequel.

Mr. y Debayo ADELAJA-OLOWOAKE, an author, sent this piece by e-mail.