States honour fallen heroes, harp on peace, security

• Let’s work to build better Nigeria, says Abiodun
• Diri tags soldiers special breed, advises politicians
• Fubara canvasses honour for living security operatives

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has implored the citizens and residents to recommit themselves to the cause of peace, unity and security of the country.

  
Similarly, his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun, called on Nigerians to join hands with governments at all levels to build a country where unity and peace would continue to prevail over division, to silence the echoes of conflict.
  
In the South South, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, described members of the Armed Forces as very special group of people dedicated to a difficult type of service.
  
His counterpart in Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara, prefers that the military and other security agents are celebrated for their contributions and sacrifices while they are alive, and not just when they are dead.
 
Speaking, yesterday, at the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day (AFRD) thanksgiving service in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, enjoined residents to honour the memory of heroes by fostering a society where justice and compassion reign supreme.
 
He said: “We are gathered here today in solemn gratitude to honour the brave men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our nation’s unity, peace and security. It is both a privilege and a duty to remember their heroism and to support the families they left behind.  
 
“Today’s thanksgiving service is not just a ceremonial observance; it is a heartfelt reflection on the courage and sacrifice of our fallen heroes. These gallant officers and men gave their lives in service to the ideals of a secure and prosperous Nigeria, and for that, we owe them an eternal debt of gratitude.”
 
Sanwo-Olu further said his administration recognised that true remembrance must be backed by concrete actions to support the dependents that face life without their loved ones. 
 
In his sermon during the service, the Presbyter and Cathedral Administrator of the Methodist Cathedral of Peace and Excellence, Opebi, Very Rev Oladapo Daramola, highlighted the importance of faithful stewardship and dedication to God-given assignments.
  
“Faithful heroes often sacrifice personal comfort to fulfil their calling,” Daramola said. “Their unwavering dedication, despite challenges, is a legacy that must inspire us all.”

ABIODUN, during a special church service held to mark the 2025 AFRD at the Cathedral Church of St Peter, Ake, Abeokuta, called on the people to ensure that the legacies of the fallen heroes remained alive, saying they fought for the territorial integrity of the country.
  
“Today, let us pledge to honour their memory not only with ceremonies but with actions. Let us build a Nigeria where unity prevails over division, where peace silences the echoes of conflict and where the sacrifices of our heroes inspire us to serve one another selflessly,” he said.
  
He added that the welfare of the families of the country’s fallen heroes should not rest solely on the shoulders of the Nigerian Legion alone, but should be a shared responsibility of the people of the country.

DIRI, at a thanksgiving service, yesterday, to mark the 2025 AFRD at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa, admonished Bayelsans to always honour and celebrate the sacrifices of the retired servicemen.
  
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Daniel Alabrah, the governor emphasised that soldiers were special to the country and the state because they continue to pay the supreme price for other citizens.

  
His words: “We are gathered to appreciate God for the lives of some very special group of people, a people that dedicated their lives even to death. They are very special to us as a country and as a state. So, we need to honour and celebrate them. 
  
“While thanking God for the families of the departed soldiers, we are also celebrating those that are living.” Governor Diri equally stated that for the sustenance of the country’s democracy, politicians who tend to violate electoral rules whenever the outcome does not tally with their interests must turn a new leaf. He advised such politicians to be mature enough to accept electoral defeat for civil governance to be respected and sustained.

FUBARA reasoned that it would be proper to emplace a more enduring measure of acknowledging and celebrating officers and men in active service for their gallantry. He, therefore, assured that his administration would do everything possible within its powers to better the lives of officers and men involved in various security operations, including legionnaires and survivors of fallen heroes within the state.
 
Governor Fubara stated this, yesterday, at the Inter-denominational Thanksgiving Service in commemoration of the 2025 AFRD at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chaplaincy, Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Rumuibekwe, in Obio/Akpor Local Council.
  
He said, “But our government will not be a government that will put its energy only in remembering the late soldiers, and those who have died in the course of defending this country. I want to change the narrative a bit. We want to also support, strongly, those people that they have left behind, so that they will know what the government and the good people of Rivers did for them. Let it also be that people will be remembered by the government for taking the right decision for them and helping them develop to be something great in our country.
  
“We want to assure the legionnaires on whose instance this occasion is centred: this government will continue to do its best to protect lives of our people, and to take the welfare of our people seriously.”