The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar on Thursday charged the Federal and State Governments to do more in seeing to the welfare of the widows and children left behind by the nation’s fallen heroes.
He said 50 years after the civil war ended, the country had not done enough for the families of the fallen soldiers.
He also urged Nigerians to continue to pray not to experience the kind of civil war which the country fought 50 years ago, stressing that the end of war has never been palatable.
He spoke while delivering the 18th S.L Edu Memorial Lecture on “The Role of Traditional Leaders in Protecting and Restoring the Nigerian Environment” organized by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in Lagos.
The lecture was in memory of the founding father of the NCF, Chief Shafi Lawal Edu described as the “Father of Conservation in Nigeria.”
Sultan, who was a Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army, said Nigeria must do everything to avoid the repeat of the civil war.
He, however, lamented the neglect of the families of fallen military officers, asking, “What are we doing with the many, many widows, orphans, children left behind whose parents have long gone and forgotten?
“They have sacrificed for this country and we must always think of them. Are we looking at their children if they have a normal standard of living,” he said.
Sultan noted that many military personnel are being lost on a daily basis in the war against insurgency and banditry across the country, saying their families must not be left in the lurch.
He thanked the Rivers State Government for pledging N100m scholarship for children of fallen heroes, urging other governments to do the same and even more.
“We must never forget the fallen heroes. We should continually pray never to witness such ugly situation of war again,” he added.
He gave instances of Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, among others where war has left millions of children orphaned and malnourished.
Sultan Abubakar urged Nigerians to support the efforts of the Federal Government to end the current war against the Boko Haram insurgency and other civil unrests across the country.
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