The Armed Forces Remembrance Day Parade and wreath-laying ceremony was held on Thursday at the National Arcade in Abuja, with top government officials and dignitaries in attendance.
Vice President Kashim Shettima led the delegation, which included Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Minister of Defence Christopher Musa, and other senior officials. The dignitaries were led in a solemn march to the cenotaph, where wreaths were laid in honour of fallen heroes who lost their lives in service to the nation.
Prayers were offered for both the living and departed servicemen who fought for national integration and global peace. The prayers were led in succession by the Director of Chaplain Services (Protestants) of the Army, Colonel Rev. B. P. Nyam; the Director of Air Force Islamic Affairs, Group Captain H. Idris; and the Director of Chaplain Services (Roman Catholic) of the Navy, Navy Captain Very Rev. Fr. R. C. Diala.
A minute of silence followed the prayers in honour of the fallen heroes, after which an artillery gun salute was fired. The wreath-laying ceremony then commenced at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Vice President Shettima laid the first wreath, accompanied by the Commander of the Guards Brigade, Brigadier General Adebisi Onasanya. He was followed by Senate President Akpabio and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, also laid a wreath, alongside the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd), and the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Abbas Salaheeden, High Commissioner of the Republic of Cameroon.
The Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, and the Inspector General of Police also participated in the ceremony.
Armed Forces Remembrance Day is observed annually on January 15 to honour veterans of the First and Second World Wars, the Nigerian Civil War, and to commemorate members of the Nigerian Armed Forces who paid the supreme sacrifice in the defence of the country.
