Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Wednesday, appealed to Nigerians to continue to cater for the needs of families of soldiers who paid the supreme price in the line of duty.
Makinde stated this at the launching of the Emblem Appeal Week for the 2021 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, State Secretariat, Agodi, in Ibadan.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Rauf Olaniyan, appealed to corporate organisations, industrialists, commercial firms and philanthropists to donate generously to the fund.
He said that the donations would help support the ex-servicemen, particularly those with disabilities and the less-privileged.
The governor said that it was noteworthy that collective efforts should be made to cater for the needs of maimed soldiers, their widows, their children and other dependants.
Makinde, who donated N2 million during the occasion, posited that the day was meant to honour fallen heroes and sensitise the public on the need to cater for the welfare of veterans who are still alive and families of those who had died.
“The Remembrance Day celebration emerged out of the need to honour our fallen heroes who laid down their lives in service to humanity during the First and Second World Wars, the civil war, peace support and internal security operations.
“The occasion is also designed to honour and sensitise the public on the need to attend to the welfare of veterans who are still alive as well as families of the fallen heroes/heroines.
“From history, indeed, they have done wonderfully-well and some nuggets of gold they left behind will surely lead our nation to a better future,” he stated.
The governor urged members of the Nigerian Legion to take advantage of the various schemes of the federal, state and local governments, non-governmental organisation as well as interventions from philanthropists to make lives better for their members.
“I strongly believe that the Nigerian Legion, Oyo State chapter, will continue with various relief packages designed to make legionnaires, widows and their dependants’ self-sustaining, thereby reducing poverty.
“I wish to reassure you that the state government will continue to support the activities of the Nigerian Legion, especially those self-sustaining projects, to enhance the lives of the dependants of the fallen heroes,” the governor stated.
Earlier, Mr Michael Fajimi, Chairman, Nigerian Legion in the state, said that the main focus of the programme was to raise fund in order to cater for the needs of veterans, who are still alive.
He assured that the legion would continue to give full support to government in securing the lives and property of the citizens and residents of the state. (NAN)
