When Victor Agunbiade was called
to serve as the officer in charge of dispersing and money collection for the
entire African region at the US navy Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, in October
2019, little did the Nigerian-born officer
know that the assignment was preparing him up for yet another feat that
would bring him global recognition.
As a navy reserve supply officer,
he had been serving at Camp Lemonnier — the primary base of operations for the
US Africa command in the Horn of Africa and the only permanent US military base
in Africa — until his latest role that saw him successfully manage the US navy’s
largest cash disbursement office that involved $45 million.
In recognition of his feat and
for also maintaining “100 percent accountability of $23 million across six
rigorous inspections and independent audits with zero discrepancies”, the US
navy recently honoured Agunbiade with a navy and marine corps commendation
medal.
Kenneth Crowe, US Navy commanding
officer, Camp Lemonnier, presented him
with a gold star certificate for his “meritorious service while serving as
disbursing officer.”
 |
| Presentation of certificate to Agunbiade |
But Agunbiade’s rise to stardom
did not start from there.
In 2017, he was named the US Navy
‘Officer Recruiter of the Year’, just about two years after becoming a
recruiting officer.
He was honoured alongside 17
others in what the US navy said was a “testament … for their talent acquisition
expertise and positive impact in their local communities.”
Agunbiade and other awardees were
described as “the best recruiters in the United States Navy” who represent “the
finest recruiting has to offer.”
FROM STOREKEEPER TO KEY PLAYER
Agunbiade left Nigeria for the US
in 2007 and in 2008, enlisted as a
storekeeper in the navy. Five years later, he was commissioned as an officer
and would later join Camp Lemonnier where he now plays a key role in naval operations across Africa.
The cash disbursement officer he
managed constituted nearly 70 per cent of the navy’s overseas disbursing
volume, the agency said, while as the only permanent US base in Africa, the
camp has about 4,000 joint and allied forces military and civilian personnel.
In his position, Agunbiade also
plays an important role in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness and
sustaining US-Africa relationship.
Camp Lemonnier is also said to
provide “higher-level service in support of combat readiness and security of
ships, aircraft, detachments and personnel for regional and combatant command
requirements while also equipping operations in the Horn of Africa.”
‘IN ALL YOU DO, GIVE IT YOUR BEST
SHOT’
 |
| Agunbiade in combat mode |
Agunbiade is guided by two major
principles in life: “Treat people with respect (and) always give your best in
what you do—my dad taught me that.”
In an interview with DVIDS, a
defense information platform, he credited his successful career to the lessons
he learnt as an immigrant in the US and while in Nigeria.
As the first child of his family,
the officer hopes his first child will take after him and enlist in the US
navy.
“I pray my son chooses to join
the Navy for three reasons. First, I hope he does it so he can appreciate what
the country has given our family. Second, it will teach him respect for
diversity, and third, I hope he does it because this uniform has changed my
life and I know it can change him for the better, too,” Agunbiade once said.
“The best part about being in the
Navy is the travel, especially when I was on a ship. I’ve been able to visit 30
countries without paying anything out of pocket.”
LOVER OF GOD, FAMILY AND ARSENAL
 |
| Agunbiade with wife and daughter in Arsenal jersey |
Agunbiade is not just all about
the US navy; he is also cherishes his family and relationship with God and, as
evident in his social media posts. He has a passion for Arsenal FC.
Tweets about Arsenal littered his
account including one which dates back to January 2016 in which he is seen
wearing the club’s jersey, saying: “Proud to be a gunner!”
He also gives God credit for his
successful career, saying in a post that “God is in every story of my life”
and, in another where he shared a #throwback picture, said: “Goodness of God! O
taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in
him(Psalm 34:8).”
https://twitter.com/segunvictor73/status/1261372528154546184?s=20
https://twitter.com/segunvictor73/status/693617288197578752?s=20
He also shared many adorable
pictures of his son who he identified in one of his tweets as Victor Olusegun
Agunbiade and, in another, as the “Prince of Minnesota”.
https://twitter.com/segunvictor73/status/1136939764547018752?s=20
https://twitter.com/segunvictor73/status/1208681218516094977?s=20
No one seems to be prouder than
the officer more than his wife, Caprice Agunbiabe, who commented on this in a
Facebook post.
In a recent post in which she
announced the husband’s award, the wife, who is a youth programme co-director
at The Salvation Army, Mankato, US, said he gives her “great hope”, recalling
how his deployment to the camp was a difficult step for the family.
She wrote: “My husband I am so
Proud of you!!!! BRAVO ZULU!!!! God has shinned his light on you once again.
You give me great hope as you serve unselfishly for Our Nation 🇺🇸
during this trying time.
“This particular deployment was
very hard for us because this time you had to leave behind Prince Victor. Not
to mention we are currently dealing with
a pandemic. Whew, but no matter what we both faced throughout our day we looked
forward to FaceTime as we laugh together with Prince Victor while he entertain
you with his big imagination.”
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