Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Saturday said that the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers for the unity of the country was not in vain.
Sanwo-Olu said this during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day ceremony, held at Remembrance Arcade, Tafawa Balewa Square in Onikan, Lagos.
He said that the efforts and sacrifices of the fallen heros had not been in vain, as the state government had been supporting the soldiers to keep the territorial integrity of the nation secured.
Sanwo-Olu laid the wreath to commemorate this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, and the military parade was followed by a traditional 21 gun-salute to honour the valour of the departed service personnel.
After laying the wreath, he said that the sacrifice made by the fallen heroes was supreme and marked the symbol of the nation’s unity.
The governor charged members of the armed forces to continue to uphold the fine traditions bequeathed to the military by the departed soldiers.
Sanwo-Olu said the state had not only honoured the efforts of the fallen heroes by participating in the yearly remembrance, but had also catered for the welfare of families of departed soldiers, through various intervention programmes.
”Today, we have come out in honour and in remembrance of fallen members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, who, at one time or the other, had been of great service to our nation and paid the supreme price to keep our unity and security.
”As a yearly tradition, the state government comes together with military formations and veterans to commemorate this day in their honour and say that their sacrifices are not in vain.
”As a government, we have been supporting our soldiers to keep the territorial integrity of this nation secure, while working with them in the areas of intelligence gathering, to ensure Lagos remains safe for our citizens and visitors,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Few days ago, the governor fulfilled a pledge of N50 million donation to the Lagos Command of the Nigerian Legion, in addition to employing over 5,000 military veterans as security guards across the state-own public schools, hospitals and government facilities.
He said: ”At the state level, we see our ex-servicemen and women as members of our community.
”We see them as people for whom we have responsibility. We promised we will equip their schools with unlimited internet access and computers to support their children.
”All of these have shown that we have not abandoned our veterans. We will continue to help servicemen that have retired.
”We will continue to create welfare support for the spouses and families of the ones that have departed, because we consider them as major stakeholders in our entire community,” he said.
Other highlights of the event included Islamic and Christian prayers for the souls of the departed soldiers.