Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says the best way to keep Nigeria as one entity is for the citizens to make sacrifices towards its unity.
He said every Nigerian irrespective of political leaning or creed, must therefore, desist from actions capable of dividing the country along its fault lines.
He spoke on Wednesday after laying wreath at the Independence Arcade, Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, to commemorate the 2020 armed forces Remembrance Day. The Armed Forces Remembrance Day is marked January 15 of every year. It is held to honour soldiers and officers who died in the course of carrying out their constitutional duty.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the citizens have a responsibility to keep Nigeria on the path of sustainable unity. “This is the best way to honour the patriotism and bravery of men of the armed forces who died in the course of securing the country,” he said.
He observed that labour of the fallen heroes would not be in vain if citizens remained resolute in defending the unity of Nigeria.
“Today’s event is very significant, because it is being held in honour those who laid down their lives to defend our country and keep it united. We will continue to celebrate their bravery and appreciate them for their efforts. As a nation, we must continue to ensure that all their efforts did not go unnoticed.
“The event is also an evidence for brave men and women that are currently serving in the armed forces, that government will certainly not forget their service to our fatherland. Therefore, to ensure that our fallen soldiers did not labour in vain, we must make sacrifice for peace and unity of this country.”
The governor also used the occasion to restate commitment to work with security agencies to strengthen professionalism in the discharge of their constitutional duties.
He said the state government had also been supportive of retired military personnel and spouses of fallen soldiers. Over 2,000 members of Nigerian Legion, he said, had been engaged by the state government to support security operations across the state. This, he said, underscored the government’s readiness to continue to improve welfare of ex-service personnel and honour their bravery.
He said: “We do not want the wives of our fallen heroes to live in abject. Lagos government will be supporting them through our empowerment programme being run by the ministry of women affairs and poverty alleviation that deliberately looks for widows,” he assured.
JOSHUA BASSEY
