Greater love hath no man than this , that a man lay down his life for his friends . – Holy Bible, John 15: 13. . . To some degree, tomorrow January 15 commemoration of the Armed Forces Day also called Remembrance Day is dedicated to remembering men and women who literarily also laid down their lives for their friends . Formerly celebrated on 11 November of every year to coincide with the Remembrance Day ( Poppy Day ) for the World War II veterans in the British Commonwealth of Nations , the Remembrance Day celebration in Nigeria was moved to 15 January in commemoration of the end of the Nigeria / Biafra Civil War, 1967 to 1970 that almost tore apart the unity of Nigeria . The war led to the death of between 1 million and 3 million people . The Remembrance Day was therefore moved from November to January because the Federal Government thought it wise that the Armed Forces Remembrance Day would be more meaningfully if it is celebrated in honour of the men and women who gave their lives fighting for the unity of the country rather than honouring soldiers who fought for the British Empire . Nevertheless , Nigerians who were enlisted in the British constabulary and were drafted to Europe to partake in World Wars I and II are not left out of the Remembrance Day celebrations which is also used in remembering all the other officers, men and women of the Nigerian armed forces who have paid the ultimate sacrifice maintaining peace at home and in other parts of the globe where they had been deployed on peace keeping missions . Under the 1999 Constitution , the Nigerian armed forces are charged with the responsibility of the defense of the territorial integrity and of the country as contained in Section 217 ( 1) – ( 2) ( d) of the constitution which says that : 217 . ( 1) There shall be an armed forces for the Federation which shall consist of an army , a navy , an Air Force and such other branches of the armed forces of the Federation as may be established by an Act of the National Assembly . ( 2) The Federation shall , subject to an Act of the National Assembly made in that behalf, equip and maintain the armed forces as may be considered adequate and effective for the purpose of - ( a) defending Nigeria from external aggression ; ( b) maintaining its territorial integrity and securing its borders from violation on land , sea , or air ; ( c ) suppressing insurrection and acting in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon to do so by the President, but subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly ; and ( d) performance such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly . ( 3) The composition of the officer corps and other ranks of the armed forces of the Federation shall reflect the federal character of Nigeria . In keeping with these constitutional responsibilities , Nigerians from all parts of the country have in the discharge of their duties as officers and men and women of the Nigerian armed forces, stood side by side as comrades in arms in the defence of the country. It is noteworthy that the Nigerian armed forces have since its establishment , fought in a civil war to keep the territorial integrity of the country intact as well as participated in several peacekeeping operations around the world . It is noteworthy that Nigeria ranks among the topmost Troop Contributing Countries of the world whenever the need for a peace keeping mission arises anywhere in the world. The Nigerian armed forces have demonstrated its capability to mobilise , deploy , and sustain brigade - sized forces in support of peacekeeping operations around the world . These include in Liberia , the former Yugoslavia , Angola , Rwanda, Somalia, and Sierra Leone . In August 2003 Nigerian troops were once again into Liberia , at the urging of the United States , to provide an interim presence until the United Nations Mission in Liberia ( UNMIL ) arrived . In October 2004 , Nigerian troops again deployed into Darfur , Sudan to spearhead an African Union force to stop the genocide in Darfur . Nigeria has contributed more than 20, 000 troops /police to various UN missions since 1960 . The Nigeria Police Force and troops have served in places like UNIPOM ( UN India - Pakistan Observer mission ) 1965 , UNIFIL in Lebanon 1978 , the UN observer mission , UNIIMOG supervising the Iran -Iraq ceasefire in 1988, former Yugoslavia 1998 , East Timor 1999 , and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC ) 2004 . There is presently a Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta region designated “Restore Hope. ” And another in the North East parts of the country where they are daily fighting to bring the Boko Haram insurgency under control. Nigerian officers have served as chiefs of defence in other countries , with Brigadier General Maxwell Khobe serving as Sierra Leone chief of staff in 1998 – 1999 , and Nigerian officers acting as Command Officer - in-Charge of the Armed Forces of Liberia from at least 2007 . Countless officers and men and women of the Nigerian armed forces died in these operations and the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations is dedicated to remembering and appreciating Nigerian military men who died in the service of the nation and their surviving colleagues who have retired from active service. These men indeed put their lives on the line for their friends . It is however unfortunate that despite the immense contributions of these men , many of their dependants unfortunately live in deplorable conditions . The launch of the Remembrance Day emblem ahead of the celebrations is used to raise funds to support the ex service men who constitute the Nigerian Legion. In December while flagging off the launch of the emblem, President Jonathan had said that wearing the emblem was a pre - requisite for government officials or visitors to gain access to government establishments across the country. According to him, the directive would remain in force until activities marking the 2014 Remembrance Day were concluded tomorrow January 15, 2014. This is as he pledged that Government will continue to discharge it’ s duties towards enhancing the welfare of the legionnaires even as modalities and implementations have begun towards increasing their pensions . He had also urged Nigerians to always show appreciation to ex- servicemen ( Nigerian Legion ) because the country survived many security challenges and emerged united because of their sacrifices and heroic roles. Across the states of the federation, activities are also expected to be in top gear for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day . Ahead of the celebrations , many state governments are already reaching out to the Nigerian Legion with monetary and other gift items . In Anambra State for example , as part of activities to launch the Remembrance Day emblem, Governor Peter Obi presented an 18- seater Bus to the Nigerian Legion, with the promises to sustain all the welfare packages extended to them in the past . He noted that Nigerians owed it as a duty to take care of the aged, those that had retired in service , including the members of the Armed Forces that sacrificed a lot for the country, calling upon the citizenry to always support the armed forces . In Ogun, the State government also donated N 1 million to the State chapter of the Nigerian Legion to mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and promised that a brand new bus would also be provided before tomorrow ’ s celebrations . The state governor, Ibikunle Amosun, while announcing the gesture at his Oke -Mosan , Abeokuta, office, pointed out that the annual celebration was more than a remembrance, but a way of saying “thank you” to those who played significant roles in the unity of Nigeria . He also promised ex -servicemen in the state of better welfare, saying their past services to the nation will not be taken for granted . He said that remembering the ex - servicemen should go beyond words of mouth in appreciating them for their services to the nation as many of them paid the supreme sacrifice of death while many others were injured in the process . Similar activities also went on across the 36 states of the federation where the governors poured encomiums on the ex- service men for their sacrifices and contributions to the unity of the country. As has been the practice , tomorrow’ s Remembrance Day parade is expected to hold at the Cenotaph of the Unknown Soldier in Abuja , the 36 state capitals as well as in other military formations across the country. The ceremony includes 21- gun salute, playing of the ‘ Last Post’ a military funeral song usually played in commemoration of those who have been killed in war , a minute ’ s silence , laying of wreaths and release of pigeons to symbolise peace . However , as Nigerians observe this annual event, investigations reveal that such promises of improved welfare and care may have become mere rhetoric of empty promises. Despite the fact that virtually all successive governments at all levels have always made similar promises to see to the welfare of these brave men and women, they are mostly forgotten as soon as the pigeons are released from their cages to bring the event to an end. The reality of the fate and conditions of living of the Nigerian Legion is however better imagined that experienced . The question has remained are the ex - service men truly being appreciated, how should the government truly honour them and what exactly should be the essence of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day ? Ishola Williams, a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army argues that the Remembrance Day , “helps Nigeria like every other country which has gone through civil war to remember the sacrifices made in blood and tears by sons and daughters of our country in and out uniform to keep Nigeria as a nation which must continue to strive to become A TRUE FEDERAL STATE .” Williams who is presently honorary Secretary General of Transparency In Nigeria ( TIN) and also the secretary of the African Strategic and Peace Research Group ( AFSRAG ) a conflict research group, is a veteran of the Civil war, and he says that “the wound on my arm has refused to disappear even after so many decades, ” an indication that these veterans were scarred for life in their bid to keep the country united . On the essence of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day , Williams said “It helps us to accept that a nation like ours having fought a civil war must never think of going through the same route . Even though we have had Coups, we have gone through many crises without shooting at each other. We will continue to do better . For the soldier, the worst nightmare is to shoot or torture your fellow countrymen and women who are brothers and sisters because as Nigeria urbanise and attain political maturity, ethnocentrism will be minimised. The experiences of other countries ’ middle class in urban areas demonstrate this phenomenon . ” Williams regrets that “the day has not helped to get ECOWAS and people of the countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia to remember the blood split on their soil by Nigerian Soldiers and Journalists for the stability and security they have today .” He advocates that for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day to be truly memorable, a memorial wall should be erected to imprint the names of men and women who died for the country permanently in history . “It is the fault of our the past and present governments which ought to have memorial walls in honour of men and women who died for us to be stable and secure without recourse to violence in the City Centres of Abuja . The wall should include Soldiers and policemen who lost their lives in Peace keeping operations ( PKOs ) in all parts of the world , Freetown and Monrovia with the names of Nigerian Officers, Soldiers , civilians, journalists who died in those countries . With these walls in, those countries , how can we or those countries ever forget ? Their families who lost their loved ones will be proud of them . Nigerians will walk tall in the world. As for the Civil War, we need a wall in Lagos, Enugu , Port Harcourt, Benin , Kaduna and Calabar with simple words “Never Again Shall Blood Flow On This Land For Any Reason , ” he said . He said it is unfortunate that “neither the Government nor the people of Nigeria respect our uniformed men, women civilians and especially their families . There are many families who are still grieving and nobody cares. The operational and post - operational care is not up to par . We could do far better but nobody has set the standards for effective Armed Forces that know that in sickness and in death they do not need to fear . “If January 15 can be the day to do stocktaking instead of fanfare alone, Nigeria and our soldiers will gain the respect of the world . We have the best resources to build the best armed forces in Africa. But lack of strategic and operational vision , duplication of services, waste and corruption are the obstacles , ” he concluded .
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 08:27:39 +0000
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