The National Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Major Gen. Abdulmalik Jibril has appealed to the youth to shun actions that will disintegrate the country.
He made the disclosure during the sensitization of school children on the essence of wearing the emblems of the armed forces, Jibril stated that there is the need to lay the foundation on peaceful coexistence.
“If we are going to build a solid nation, we have to start from the youth and they must be united. They need to have a free mind to associate and live among themselves as brothers and not allow anything that will create any artificial division,” he said.
While calling on the need to educate the youth on sacrifice individuals make towards their country, he said being a member of the Nigerian military signifies giving up one’s life to protect the country from external and internal threat, thus, can’t be equated for any citizen.
He said: “This is because if they line up people and say how many are ready to die now, very few will come out. So, anyone that joins the military has sold their life for the benefit of the country. How we can start the culture of self-sacrifice is through the enlightenment of the youth.
“So, we want the youth to be part of our arrangement for enlightenment on the need to be peaceful and avoid anything that will create a war situation.
“We also want to let them know the essence of this celebration and commemoration of the Armed Forces Day which we started on October 25 and ended by January 15. This is because January 15 witnessed the end of the Nigerian Civil War and it is a day to be jubilant while also commemorating the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives through the civil war and other operations. We need to incorporate and inculcate this selflessness in our youth.”
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Beracah Economic Empowerment Foundation, Maria Emmanuel, said the foundation, among other humanitarian activities, is engaged in mobilising support, creating awareness for veterans and the families of fallen heroes.
“I stand with great pride and gratitude as I announce our programme to bring school children to the Nigerian Legion House to honour our veterans on the upcoming Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
“This initiative aims to teach young minds about sacrifice, duty, and the importance of cherishing our fallen heroes and veterans.”