AFRD: Oyo state Governor charges Armed Forces on political neutrality 

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has urged the Armed Forces in Nigeria to remain neutral in the area of politics, so as to maintain peace and security in the country during the forthcoming general elections.

The Governor disclosed this on Sunday, at the Grand Finale/Laying of Wreaths of the 2023 Armed Forces and Remembrance Day, held at the Remembrance Arcade, Agodi, Ibadan, the state capital.

After being received by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Aminu Chinade at the Remembrance Arcade, Governor Makinde, accompanied by the parade commander, inspected the Guard of Honour mounted by the Armed Forces, while heads of security agencies in the state were on ground.

Thereafter came the laying of wreaths at the cenotaph, in honour of the fallen heroes, first by the governor, followed by the GOC, then the Oyo State Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, among other heads of security agencies, top government officials and traditional ruler in the state.

Addressing journalists at the end of the event, Governor Makinde, who was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Tamunominini Makinde, expressed appreciation to the officers and men of the Armed Forces for the work they are doing in the country, promising that his administration would continue to support the widows, orphans and other family members of the fallen heroes.

Makinde said: “My advice for the security agencies is to remain neutral; the country belongs to all of us. At the end of everything, politics will go and our country will remain. And also let me use this opportunity to thank the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for what they are doing for our country at this period.”

“We have challenges in the northwest, in the southeast and also have the challenge of little resources. So we are asking them to do much more with little resources and they’re trying to cope so we want to appreciate them,” the governor stated.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Legion in the state, Julius Ogunkojo, thanked the national headquarters of the Nigerian Legion for the scholarship scheme it put in place from which about 10 indigenes of Oyo State had benefited, tasking the Federal Government to prioritise the welfare of dependants of the fallen heroes by giving them subsidies.

Ogunkojo noted that “Some of us have not been paid our pensions; we need to be cared for. We need the assistance of the Oyo State Government to help us so that we can take good care of those who are physically challenged among us.”

The high point of the ceremony was the firing of Rounds Volley in honour of the fallen heroes and the release of ceremonial pigeons by the governor, which signifies peace.

The Armed Forces and Remembrance Day is held annually in Nigeria on January 15, to celebrate the Armed Forces and remember the nation’s fallen heroes.