The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has enjoined all Lagosians to always work together and pray for peace and development of Nigeria, adding that Armed Forces Remembrance Day must be a constant reminder of the great sacrifices that our ex-servicemen and gallant fallen heroes made to secure our unity.
Speaking at an inter-denominational Church Service, held at the Chapel of Christ the Light on Sunday, Ambode said Nigerians must work constantly for tolerance and should be accommodating of one another, as consequences of war “are always devastating”.
The Governor, who was represented at the event by the State Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr Oluseye Oladejo, prayed for the safe return of those in various battlefields, the repose of the souls of departed heroes as well as comfort to the families they had left behind.
While advising that all should take pride in our multiplicity and regard it as our strength, he maintained that the State government will always be supportive in promoting the welfare of legionnaires and families of fallen uniformed men.
Similarly, Mrs Aramide Giwanson, Special Adviser for Arts and Culture, represented Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Special Jumat Service held at the Secretariat Central Community Mosque as part of activities to commemorate the 2019 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
The Governor, in his speech, promised that the present administration would continue to improve the welfare of relatives of deceased ex-servicemen, their widows, orphans and other loved ones, just as the government had done in 2018.
In his remarks, the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, who led the Body of Permanent Secretaries to the Jumat Service, prayed that Almighty Allah “give the families of our fallen heroes the fortitude to bear the loss of their late loved ones”, while assuring serving soldiers that the Nation will continue to support them as they strive to keep its territorial integrity.
He implored Lagosians to pray every day for the men and officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces, late soldiers and their families and called on every Nigerian to also pray for the eventual victory and safe return of our soldiers still fighting at battlefronts in the North East.
