Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri says much of the insurrections, violence and conflicts Nigeria is facing today could be avoided if the authority and citizens respect justice and equity.
Diri, while speaking during the interdenominational service to mark the 2021 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa on Sunday, also called for better funding and equipping of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
- Biafra civil war: Obasanjo, Kukah, others to speak at confab
- Why God spared my life amid COVID-19 – Obasanjo
The governor said this would serve as motivation for the military in the bid to end insurgency and insecurity in the country.
According to him, January 15 was set aside in Nigeria to remember fallen heroes of the First and Second World War as well as the Nigeria Civil War.
He noted that the society needs to also do enough in respecting the lives of every security personnel just as they honour the memories of fallen soldiers.
He said: “The federal government is spending so much but we believe that they can still spend more in terms of equipment and better welfare for the personnel.
“I also want the federal government to look into the issue of insecurity in this country and accord it the necessary importance that it deserves.
“For me, it is a day to call upon the federal and state governments to look again at what we do and ensure that as leaders our watchword should be that of justice and equity.
“Much of the insurrection, the violence and the conflicts in Nigeria today are avoidable if only we respect justice and equity.” He said.
In his sermon, Chaplain of the King of Glory Chapel, Pastor David Yala, admonished personnel of the Armed Forces to realise that their mission is not for self-recognition but that of service to become a sacrificial citizen of the nation.
Citing the example of the late Major Isaac Adaka-Boro’s struggle for the people of the Niger Delta, the cleric called on armed security personnel to be passionate about their service to protect lives and property in order for their names to be written in the sands of time.
