The Gombe State Government has asked the State Chapter of the Nigerian Legion to mobilise its members as a reserve force to assist security agenies in tackling security challenges in the 11 local government areas of the state.
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who made the call during the official launch of the Emblem Appeal Fund to mark the Armed Forces and Remembrance Day in Gombe, urged the retired soldiers to be part of the Security Architecture of Gombe State.
He said the event was not only to remember and reflect on the sacrifices of the armed forces, but an opportunity to address the predicament of the Fallen Heroes, their families and loved ones.
According to Governor Yahaya, the Appeal Fund would generate resources to support families and retired service men. He also appealed to individuals and private organizations to donate generously to the Emblem Appeal Fund.
The Gombe State Governor pleged his administration’s support for security agencies in the maintenance of law and order in the state.
He promised to look into the request of the ex-solders, made earlier by their Chairman, retired warrant officer David Kadiri.
The Gombe State Governor announced the donation of 5 million naira on behalf of the government and another one million naira as his personal donation for the retired soldiers and families of fallen heroes.
Assistance to retired soldiers
The Chairman of the Gombe State Chapter of the Nigerian Legion had earlier asked the government to provide the group with a picee of land for its permanent secretariat as office accommodation, provision of scholarship and jobs for their children, as well as the involvement of its members in the security of the state, among others.
Warrant Officer Kadiri thanked the Gombe State Government for engaging its members in providing security in schools across the state. He also appealed to the public to consider the plight of the retired solders, as well as the families of the fallen heroes, some of whom had served during the 1st and 2nd World Wars, as welll as the civil war.
Emmanuel Ukoh
