Agia Daniel Noafa (1960-2016)

Agia Daniel Noafa was a fine Naval officer who won tremendous and several laurels

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Navy Commodore (DSS, Psc.Psn, Fwc)

Agia Daniel Noafa was a fine Naval officer who won tremendous and several laurels for himself and for the Nigeria Navy.

Synopsis

Agia Daniel Noafa was an award-wining naval officer, born in 1960 in Nembe, Bayelsa state, Nigeria. In his time at the Nigeria Defense Academy and other naval courses within and out of the shores of Nigeria, he was an academic and professional excellence, he was denied promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral by the Nigeria Navy and was retired afterwards as a Navy Commodore in 2014. Agia Daniel Noafa died two years after.

Birth/Parents

Late Navy Commodore Agia Daniel Noafa was born on 8 January, 1960 into the family of late Elder Ebinimi Daniel Noafa Ogbolomabiri Nembe community and Madam Amuna Victor, of Nembe-Bassambiri town all in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.

Education

The academic profile of Commodore Agia Daniel Noafa was characterized by exceptional brilliance from start to finish. Young Agia Daniel Noafa had his primary education at State School Nembe Bassambiri in old Rivers state (now Bayelsa state) from 1966 to 1972. He made a Distinction in the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) exam.

Having complete his primary school as a little boy, what was uppermost in his mind was to contribute his quota positively to the development of his fatherland. In pursuit of that lofty goal, he enrolled in the Nigerian Military School, Zaria and equally made one of the best results in WAEC, a grade I distinction.

He proceeded to the Nigerian Defense Academy in 1978 for the 25th Regular course and became the best graduating officer cadet with Three prizes at once, namely, combined service gold medal, best naval cadet and best service medal cadet with an outstanding score of A, B and B in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry respectively. This is a score matched by Late Lieutenant Commander Iguarra and no other naval cadet in the history of the Nigerian Defense Academy.

Between 1978 and 2006, he attended several courses. The notable ones among these are the prestigious Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon Plymouth, the United Kingdom, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering in the Nigerian Navy.

Based on his performance at the staff college, he was sent to the Pakistan naval war college, Lahore to do a comparative staff course. Here again, he performed so well that they awarded him a B+ Grade, the first ever to be awarded to a Nigerian. His research paper there was forwarded to the University of Punjab, Lahore for assessment and award of a BSc (Honors) degree in War Studies. The University, after a careful assessment, awarded him a Grade A, which is First Class.

Back in Nigeria, he attended the National War College and was easily the best among the Naval participants, receiving the Chief Naval Staff prize for best research paper on Maritime Operations with his submission entitled “An Integrated Approach to the Security of Ocean Resources: Challenges for the Nigeria Navy”. The paper was so good that it was sent as a Bill to the Nigeria House of Representatives to be passed into law. He equally bagged an M.Sc Strategic Studies degree from the University of Ibadan.

Career

Commodore Agia Daniel Noafa (RTD) first joined the Nigerian Army in 1978 as a private soldier, working as a Clerk in the Army Headquarters Lagos, but changed to the Nigerian Navy in 1979. He served with distinction and vigor in several locations as follows:

  1. Nigerian Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island
  • Supervisor, Electrical Services 1992
  • Manager, Safety 2000
  • General Manager, Production, 2008
  • General Manager, Planning, 2009
  1. Base Technical officer, NNS OLOKUN (now BEECROFT), 1993 in change of both electrical and mechanical engineering in the base.
  2. Assistant Director, Combat System, Defense Headquarters, 1997
  3. Head of Weapons Engineering, NNS ARADU (the nation’s flagship), 2001.
  4. Commander, Fleet Support Group (West) 2010, in charge of the engineering, maintenance and operational readiness of all Naval ships in Lagos and Warri.
  5. Director of Research and Development, Naval Headquarters, 2011.

Citation

In 2010, at Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos, he received a citation for exceptional performance in Naval Engineering.

Commodore Agia Daniel Noafa was a career and professional Naval Officer, rising through the ranks from Sub-lieutenant in 1981 to that of Commodore in 2007. He was retired from the service in 2014.

With such academic and professional excellence, Commodore Naofa and indeed many others could not and do not understand why he could not be promoted beyond the rank of Commodore. This became a source of worry for the award-winning officer.

Religious and family life

From childhood he was a member of the Baptist Church, Nembe-Bassambiri. He was a loving and caring father to immediate family. He Agia Daniel Noafa had four (4) kids; foe for foe he was.

His Last Days

Commodore Agia Daniel Noafa took ill with depression and other related sicknesses and was apparently admitted at the Naval Hospital, Lagos and he later died on 13 January, 2016 at the age of 56. He was interred in his hometown Nembe-Bassambiri on the 19 of March, 2016.

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Abalijay
"Timeless Persons" is a personal blog project created by me with the aim of sharing biographies of remarkable individuals from the Niger Delta region and beyond. The blog serves as a platform to captivate and stimulate your thoughts, encouraging reflection on the past, fostering a positive mindset in the present, and inspiring hope for a better future. Through the stories of great minds featured on the blog, readers are invited to delve into the lives and achievements of extraordinary individuals, drawing inspiration and insights that can be applied to their own lives. "Timeless Persons" strives to create an engaging and thought-provoking space for readers to appreciate the legacies and contributions of notable individuals, ultimately encouraging personal growth and a brighter outlook on life.