Armed Forces Day: Fallen heroes, others deserve respect, honour – Akpabio

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, says Nigeria’s fallen heroes, serving and retired military personnel deserve honour and respect.

Akpabio, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Eseme Eyiboh .

He said the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces to keep Nigeria one and in peace should be acknowledged and accorded due honour and respect by every Nigerian.

“Nigerians owe their fallen heroes, serving and retired military personnel absolute honour, respect and in fact, a debt of gratitude because it is not a fluke for people to offer their lives in defense of their countrymen and women to live in peace and harmony.

“I sincerely salute their sacrifices, which sometimes go unnoticed and unappreciated.
“By laying their lives for our sake, those who died in the line of duty are our fallen heroes and must be honoured at all times.

“For those who are in the trenches fighting day and night, and those who have retired, we will continue to give them their due honour and respect.

“The military have been partners in the progress of defending the territorial integrity of the nation, maintaining peace and sustaining our cherished democracy. This is commendable.’’

Akpabio assured that the National Assembly under his chairmanship would continue to give priority and undiluted attention to the welfare of the members of the Armed Forces.

This, he said, was commensurate with their unwavering commitment and patriotism to the nation.
Akpabio expressed the support of the legislature to the executive towards repositioning and rejigging the security architecture in line with current security challenges.

He also thanked families of military personnel, both dead and living for partaking in the sacrifices and pains their bread winners go through in the course of serving the nation.