Governor Umo Eno has joined others across the nation to mark the Nigerian Armed Forces/Remembrance Day, at the Cenotaph, off Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo.
In an emotion-laden speech, he spoke of the moment he lost his father, an Officer of the Nigerian Police in the line of duty to the nation and how his mother was saddled with the challenging task of raising five boys and a girl, and saluted the sacrifices made by the fallen heroes and heroines of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He thereafter, donated the sum of 100 million Naira to the widows of the fallen heroes and another 25 million to the Nigerian Legion.
“As we honour these brave men and women, let us collectively shun tendencies that inflame passions in our polity.
“Let us celebrate our diversity and see the differences as reflected in our rainbow of our colors as sources for strength rather than weakness to be exploited for narrow individual or group’s political, social or economic advantage.
”Let us lower the temperature of incendiary and divisive rhetoric, let us address the root causes of social tensions in our polity, which today, have given rise to separatist agitations all over the nation.
“Today, as we gather all over the nation, let us not forget the families of those who paid the ultimate price, let us give them a reason to be feel proud that their husbands, sons and daughters truly died for causes greater than their individual desires”, the Governor added.
Highlight of the event was the laying of wreaths on the tomb of the unknown soldier, the ceremonial release of pigeons and symbolic 21 gunshots in memory of the fallen heroes.
