From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima led a solemn ceremony at the National Arcade in Abuja on January 15, 2025, to commemorate Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
The Vice President who represented President Bola Tinubu, who was attending the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, arrived at 10:07 AM, initiating the day’s events with the National Anthem.
The ceremony honoured Nigeria’s fallen heroes from various conflicts, including the World Wars and the Nigerian Civil War.
It featured a moment of silence, prayers from different faiths, and the Last Post played in tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the nation. Wreaths were laid by dignitaries including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and military chiefs.
After the wreath-laying, a three-volley salute was fired, followed by Shettima signing the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Anniversary Register and releasing pigeons as symbols of peace.
The Vice President concluded the event with a National Salute, marking the end of a day dedicated to reflecting on the sacrifices made by military personnel.
This annual event is organized by the Ministry of Defence to honour those who have served and to support veterans and their families.
The date, January 15, is significant as it commemorates the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970. Hitherto, it was conducted on 11th November alongside other Commonwealth nations.
Other dignitaries at the event, besides the , and the service chiefs, were the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume; and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSoF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack.
Also there were the Minister of Defense, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and the. Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawale. Some of the other ministers present were Nyesom Woke (FCT), Abubakar Kyari (Agriculture and Food Security), Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim (Women Affairs), among others.