President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reassured retired military officers in the country that they will not only be accorded due respect but measures will be taken to ensure that they live comfortable lives after they sacrificed to defend and keep Nigeria together.
The President gave the assurance on Thursday when he declared open the 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers (RANAO) Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu, who was represented by Minister of Defence, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, recalled that some members of the association answered the call to duty during the 1967 to 1970 civil war, a period he described as the darkest in Nigeria’s history.
The President said, “You and your generation, the entire members of the RANAO association and the rest of the veteran community answered the call to duty during the darkest period of our nation history .
“You paid your dues and you did your duty most diligently and admirably. We salute you all now that you are retired.
“I think it is only natural that we the government and people of grateful nation spare no effort in ensuring that we accord you the due respect and take measures to ensure that you are reasonably comfortable.”
He urged the association to provide leadership for rest of the veteran community since it is made of retired officers from the least to the highest ranking military officers in the armed forces, saying that they should channel their complaints to him personally through the minister of defence.
Earlier, RANAO National President, retired Maj -Gen. Abdulhafeez Adewuyi, acknowledged what he called the profound efforts of the President in addressing on all fronts the political, economic and security challenges confronting the country.
“It is so obvious to all and sundry and even the doubting Thomases that you mean well for Nigeria and Nigerians. It is also glaring that a number of businesses from the private sector are beginning to shore up the economy,” Adewuyi said.
He called on the citizens to be patriotic and focus doing everything they can to change the country’s situation for better so that most of the problems “we face today will go away or at least be reduced in magnitude”.
“It is sad to note that there are too many Nigerians at the root of our problems. It is a case of one’s enemy being from his household. Our greatest enemies is ourselves.”