- Commends Buhari on war against insurgents
- As campaign council prepares stadium for Atiku rally Monday
By Egufe Yafugborhi
Port Harcourt – Governor Nyesom Wike in sustained passion to support Ex-Service men, has again donated N100 million to the Nigerian Legion on occasion of the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration in Rivers state.
Wike after his wreath laying during the event at the Isaac Boro Park on Sunday in Port Harcourt, announced the donation in a speech in which he also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for sustaining the fight against insecurity across the nation.
The governor noted that since the Civil War ended after three gruesome years of internecine warfare, there is hardly a year the nation’s armed forces have not been assigned to one bloody combat mission or the other within or outside the country.
He said, “I commend President, General Muhammadu Buhari for sustained efforts at defeating Boko Haram insurgents and bandits terrorizing and destroying our communities in parts of our country. The restoration of peace to our troubled geo-political regions and the conduct of free and fair general elections are the best legacies you can live for our country.
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“As leaders, our goal must be one Nigeria, one destiny, and the challenges of building a more fair, inclusive and just society are not beyond us. Therefore, I will not relent in my prayers to God to enable Mr President and other leaders of our country to succeed in our mission and commitments to our country.”
On the sacrifices of the armed forces and their families, the governor said, “We respect them for the dangerous professional path they willingly chose and love them as our children, relations, friends and members of our communities in the nation’s service.
“But they loved us more and even more significantly as fellow Nigerians by risking their lives, health, family and future on the battlefields to defend and protect us from harm’s way in return for almost nothing.
“We owe them a great deal as a nation. We owe them as States. We owe them as a people. Collectively, we owe them a debt we cannot repay. Though the much we can do on this day is extoll their virtues, commemorate their sacrifice and honour their heroic exploits so they would never be forgotten for putting their lives on the line for us and others to live.
“As a State Government, we have, over the years, provided financial support to our veterans through the State Office of the Nigerian Legion. We have since redeemed the N50, 000,000.00 (fifth million naira) pledge we made during the remembrance emblem appeal fund launch in December 2022.
“Today, I wish to donate the sum of N100, 000,000.00 (one hundred million naira) on behalf of the State government for the economic empowerment of the veteran servicemen from Rivers State.”
The governor appealed to well-meaning public and private individuals and organizations to contribute to improving the social and economic well-being of the legionnaires and the wives and children of the fallen ex-servicemen.
Rivers State Chairman, Nigerian Legion, ACG Justice O. Chichi, commended governor Wike for extraordinary kindness the Rivers State Government has shown towards the welfare and support of veterans and the families of fallen heroes under Wike’s administration.
Meanwhile, the governor may have boosted Monday’s campaign rally in Rivers state by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, with the Rivers State Government’s approval of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area for the event.
The Atiku Campaign Council which had earlier hired Port Harcourt Polo Club for the event, apparently to evade falling foul of Wike’s Executive Order 21, was said to have, since weekend, gotten the governor’s nod to use the large Omagwa stadium.
Rivers head of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Abiye Sekibo was seen Sunday mobilising men to carry out final preparations at the stadium for the event.
It is rumoured that tomorrow’s event could spring some strong statements of reconciliation from the PDP presidential flag bearer in last minutes efforts at reuniting the G-5 Governors to the campaign council, even as Abiye was on radio over the weekend, acknowledging how Wike has been the sustaining force of the PDP and the imperative to have him fully backing the Atiku presidential bid.
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