Protest: Nigerian Legion wants veterans to abstain

The Nigerian Legion has called on veterans of the armed forces to distance themselves from the planned protest nationwide.

The National Chairman of the Nigerian Legion (NL), Maj. Gen. Abdul Malik Jibril (Rtd.), who addressed journalists in Abuja, said veterans are disciplined professionals trained to uphold the integrity of Nigeria.

He said it is not the teaching of Nigerian veterans to demonstrate or go on strike because they are not members of a labour union.

“We are always a stabilising factor, even serving colleagues are called upon in such situations by upholding the constitution, therefore it is certainly unnecessary and not in our practice to partake in any strike.

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“It does not take away any of our individual rights, but we shouldn’t be partisan, rather we should be stabilisers,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Jibril further added that as the umbrella of veterans in Nigeria, the Legion will continue to uphold their discipline, remaining non-political and non-partisan.

Strikes and protests, he said, are often hijacked by miscreants who’ll take advantage to cause mayhem, and only the beginning is known not the end.

“The Federal Government is doing its best to stabilise the nation despite the current hardship, so with due respect to our civilian counterparts, our stake as veterans is higher so we should all bear,” he said.