Rivers State Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara has said it is more rewarding to celebrate the military and members of the security agencies for their contributions and sacrifices. At the same time, they are alive, and not just when they are dead.
Fubara stated this yesterday while speaking at the Inter-denominational Thanksgiving Service held in commemoration of the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chaplaincy, Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Rumuibekwe, Port Harcourt.
The governor described it as unfair to only remember fallen heroes, as the yearly Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration represents, but also to establish a more enduring measure of acknowledging and celebrating officers and men in active service for their gallantry.
Therefore, he assured that his administration would do everything possible to improve the lives of officers and men involved in various security operations, including legionnaires and survivors of fallen heroes within the State.
Fubara said: “But I want to say that our government will not be a government that will put its energy only in remembering the late soldiers and those who have died in the course of defending this country.
“I want to change the narrative a bit. We also want to strongly support those who have been left behind so that they will know what the government and the good people of Rivers State did for them. Let it also be so that the government will remember people for making the right decisions for them and helping them develop into something great in our country.
“We want to make sure the legionnaires on whose occasion this occasion is centred. We want to assure the Armed Forces that this government will continue to do its best to protect our people’s lives and take our people’s welfare seriously.
“At the end of the day, it is about the people, and the people should come first. We want to assure you that those things we have promised, which I believe we have met a good number of them; however, if there is anyone that we have not done, we will do it to make sure that you are not remembered after your death, but that while you are alive, you also enjoy yourself in the right way.”
The governor referred to the biblical Moses, who requested the Lord Almighty to make His presence available as a shield and compass to lead the Israelites on the path designed for them. He stated that God is in complete control of the affairs of the State and provides the needed direction on the right path.
He said, “Let me also appeal to all the religious leaders in this State. Your pulpit should be a place to talk about peace, progress, and the unity of the people of Rivers State.
“It shouldn’t be an opportunity for people to cast aspersions, abuse people, say all sorts of things. In addition, it is more worrisome that it is in the house of God. Please, I want to beg you (the churches)… with due respect… you need to stop it… If I start shooting out of order, drag the microphone from me.”
Fubara recalled that the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day was marked when his administration and the entire State went through many storms. Still, he asserted that it would be a lot different in 2025 because everybody looks brighter and fresher, with his administration’s outlook being better, bigger, stronger, and more comfortable steering the affairs of the State.
The governor said, “This year is special. It is special because God has been with us and helped us in several ways. God has also promised us that there will be total peace on every side. Our projection for this year will be as we declared it: ‘Inclusive Growth and Development’, especially on human capital development.
“We can only achieve this in an environment where there is peace, an environment where there is law and order. That is where the security agencies come in. We want to appeal to you; we do not care about the means of your appointment; we are not bordered on the ethnic group you are coming from; what we request from you is to consider the interest of this State as more critical.
“Know that if anything goes wrong in this State, it affects Nigeria. That is the truth! So, work as professionals and support us to make sure that those things that we ought to do rightly are done for the interest of the good people of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.”
In his homily, the Chaplain of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chaplaincy, Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Very Reverend Monsignor Pius Kii, spoke on the theme “Remembrance” and emphasised the importance of rendering worthy services to God, society, and humanity because they do not go unnoticed by God, who recompenses justly.
Kii, therefore, admonished that on an auspicious day as the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration, proper remuneration should be instituted for men and women of the Armed Forces who have continued to fight against external aggressions, terrorism, and curbed internal insurgencies, with some of them paying the supreme price to ensure a peaceful society for the citizenry.
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