Armed Forces Day: What Atiku said about Nigerian military

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has urged Nigerians to embrace peace and unity as a means of honouring the gallant efforts of the Nigerian military.

He said this in a statement on Sunday in commemoration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

“I admire the bravery of members of our armed forces, and celebrate their hard efforts to keep us safe. My prayer on this day is to see a time soon when the guns and the armoured tanks lie idle because we have no more battles left to fight,” Atiku noted.

“My hope for our country is to see a time when neighbours of different tribes and tongues see one another as brother and sister, when Christians and Muslims regard each other as one under God who created all, when citizens could express opinions and grievances freely, then there will be no need for insurgency or uprising. We would all live together in peace and harmony. And, yes, our armed forces will have little to do!

“We must never take for granted the great sacrifice that these brave men and women have made or are making. We must never forget them or their loved ones. On this Armed Forces Remembrance Day, I call on Nigerians all over the world to show respect and love to our security personnel by showing respect and love to one another.

“When we all live in peace and unity and love, we not only enable steady development and progress in our great country, Nigeria, but we minimise the unnecessary pain, grief and loss of life among our beloved armed forces, who have bravely signed up to keep us all safe and secure. Our fallen heroes and their families are not the only ones who suffer.

“We all are victims of those who do not want our progress and development and perpetually pit one ethnic or religious group against the other. It is time for Nigerians to remember to say no to divisions and acrimony caused by people with only their selfish interests at heart.” he added.