Buhari, others honour fallen heroes on Armed Forces Day

16 Jan Buhari, others honour fallen heroes on Armed Forces Day

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday led other senior government officials to honour the memories of fallen heroes at the 2021 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

At the event, which took place at the National Arcade, Abuja, the president led Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the service chiefs to lay wreaths.

Other senior government officials who laid wreaths at the ceremony included the Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad.

Also participating were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari; the Minister for the FCT, Mallam Mohammed Bello, among others.

Buhari later signed the customary register and released pigeons in a symbolic gesture for peace as part of the ceremony to mark the year event.

The occasion also witnessed prayers offered by the Director, Chaplain Services, Roman Catholic, Nigerian Airforce, Group Captain Pasau, and the Director, Islamic Affairs, Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Mustafa, for both Christian and Islamic faiths.

There was a mild drama at the event as as the ceremonial white pigeons released from the cage by President Buhari took time to fly out.

Also, in a series of tweets yesterday, President Buhari yesterday directed the nation’s service chiefs to ensure synergy in the fight against all forms of insecurity, while also promising that Nigeria will witness a significant improvement in safety this year.

He wrote: “As we commemorate #ArmedForces RemembranceDay, let me pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of all the men and women of our armed forces who have paid the supreme price for our unity, peace and security. We also salute our troops currently engaged in internal security operations.

“The welfare and wellbeing of our troops will continue to be a priority. We are investing heavily not only in weapons and equipment for their use, but also in provision of housing, medical care and other areas of welfare. And we will continue to make resources available.

“I am reiterating my directives to the service chiefs regarding greater synergy and cooperation, and also a more sustained focus on intelligence gathering and interpretation. I am confident that we will see significant improvement in our security situation this year.

“May the souls of all our departed heroes continue to rest in peace. We will continue to strive to ensure that their sacrifices on our behalf will never be in vain.”