Serving in The UK Airforce & Being An Artiste – See How Bruce Oshakuade is Balancing Multiple Interests in Today’s “Doing Life With…”

Doing Life With… is a BellaNaija Features series that showcases how people live, work, travel, care for their families and… everything in between. We are documenting the lives of all people and ensuring everyone is well-represented at BN. Did you miss our holiday edition with Pastor Tunde Usidame, you can catch up here. You can also read all our 2023 episodes here.

For our first episode of the year 2024, we’re doing life with Bruce Oshakuade, a Nigerian who serves in the UK Air Force, owns a clothing store and is also an artist. Dig in!

Hi Oshak. Tell us how you feel right now in 2 words

Calm. Rejuvenating.

We love that! Give us a glimpse into your background

I spent some of my growing up in Nigeria, but have spent most of my adult life in the UK. I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer, just like my dad. I ended up studying Mechanical Engineering and I can say the whole process of looking forward to becoming an Engineer and the studying of it prepared me for who I am today.

So why the UK Air Force?

I’ve always wanted to serve and I have always had a dream of getting married in the uniform (and that dream is still very much alive).

Interesting. But what division do you serve?

I serve at the RAF 600 Squadron, London and I am a Logistic Supplier.

Tell us about the challenges and highlights of being in the UK Air Force as a Nigerian  

All I can say is military life in the UK is different from what I have seen in videos and heard from word of mouth about the Nigerian military. There is so much flexibility in the UK. You can join as a full-time or part-time serviceman, which I was told is unavailable in the Nigerian Military. I have seen a few videos of the recruitment training for the Nigerian military. If the videos are true, then I can conveniently say the UK training is more tactical, less physical and less dramatic.

What was your life like before joining the military?

My late dad was a Mechanical Engineer and my mum was a secretary. They both worked in the civil service. So my elder sister, my younger sister, my little brother and I lived a simple comfortable life. I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a postgraduate in Renewable Energy from the University of Reading. I have various certifications in IT and before joining the military, I worked as an IT Project Manager, Software Tester and IT Business Analyst.

Let’s talk about you being an artist and owning a clothing store. How have you managed to merge and balance multiple interests?

I’m what you can call a “goal-getter”. I try as much as possible to live without regrets. So I do anything I want to do. If it doesn’t work, I will look back, say, “I gave it my best shot” and move on. Being an artist has been challenging because it’s extremely expensive if you don’t have a record label to invest in you. But I thank God for growth in the last 7 years; people are beginning to appreciate my music and its messages. “Disrespect” featuring Reminisce, and “Breakfast” featuring Peruzzi have been getting air plays lately. I am just starting the clothing line (Santa-Bruce) and the challenge has been getting clothes over to the UK to sell. But I’m still working on a business model that can make the whole process efficient. I also have a football coaching license from the English Football Association (FA). I obtained my license in 2011 and used to coach a local team called Spaliag Tornadoes in Telford, Shropshire. I haven’t coached any football team for the past 8 years due to my military commitment, but a plan is underway for me to take up the coaching of my squadron (RAF 600)’s football team this year. It’s tough managing multiple interests at the same time, I must tell you. But I’m up to the task and I love the challenge.

We love that for you. You joined the United Nations campaign sometime last year to propel the campaign against cancer. Tell us about it

The campaign was to support my friend, Eghosa, who embarked on the journey to raise money for cancer. So we did a push-up challenge and raised some money.

What’s a typical day like for you?

Hmm, I wake up checking my phone, like most people nowadays. Then I log on to my laptop and start working. I usually do intermittent fasting but that has been a challenge in the last 2 months. I do 80/100 pushups daily, just to build upper body strength. I take a 1-hour walk after my first meal at 6 p.m. and come back to watch football if there is any on. I’m an Arsenal fan, so I don’t miss any of their matches.

No wonder you’re a “gunner” for goals

Haha, you can say that too.

What are your favourite cities, and why?

Lagos, for the nightlife. Houston, because of the weather. London, also because of the nightlife.

A Nigerian dish you cannot do without?

Bread and beans. I can live on it for the rest of my life!

One amusing or hilarious thing that has happened to you during a deployment or training exercise?

I wanted to quit the military during basic training because of my gas chamber experience. I thought I was going to die in the gas chamber, lol. A Gambian-born colleague managed to convince me to stay. It was funny and scary at the same time.

One unconventional belief you have about the world?

You should love your spouse as equally (if not more) as your children. Your children will grow up and leave, and you will be left with your spouse. You can sacrifice everything for your children and some of them won’t even appreciate you or care about you when you get old.

One ‘crazy’ thing you’d do if no one was watching?

Try the facial expression that goes with the Amapiano dance. Haha

Who’s Oshak in one sentence?

My friends call me Santa Bruce because they think I’m too nice and do too many giveaways.

Hehe, so we can call you “sinzu spending”?

Hahahaha

Thank you for being part of Doing Life With…

Thank you for having me, BellaNaija.

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Many thanks to Bruce Oshakuade for having this conversation with us. Join us on Saturday for the next episode!

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