By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has decorated staff of the ministry with the Armed Forces Emblem in honour of Nigerian fallen heroes.
Alausa, at the ceremony in Abuja on Thursday, charged staff in the ministry, agencies and parastatals to put on the emblem to honour veterans of World War 1, 2 and the Nigerian civil war.
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According to him, the significance of the ceremony is to commemorate the sacrifices of the country’s fallen heroes putting down their lives to protect the territorial integrity of the nation.
”We see Nigeria as a country that was going to disintegrate from war, but our heroes went to war to protect the integrity and unity of our nation.
“The least we can do is to remember them after they are gone. So today we will be putting on the emblem to remember them for the years, centuries and decades’ sacrifices.
”We are enjoying the sacrifices of these fallen heroes. Let’s celebrate them, and that is what the president does every year.
“The Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Tinubu, has launched it and we are supporting him today.
“I am directing all the agencies under the federal ministry of education to do same and wear the emblem from today till January 15 when the official celebration will happen,” he said.
He added that as a policy, it was expected that all agencies of government emulated the president in remembering Nigerians who laid down their lives for the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Armed Forces Remembrance Day is an important event celebrated and observed globally by Commonwealth member countries.
It is also to commemorates the end of the World War I which officially took place at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month (November) 1918.
But in order to reflect on our own historical experience as a nation, January 15 was selected to observe the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration so as to commemorate the end of the Nigeria Civil war. (NAN)
