Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has expressed readiness to engage the services of members of the Nigerian Legion to protect government assets.
He believes that though they are retired, they are not tired.
The governor dropped the hint at the state’s launch of the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day/Emblem Appeal Fund at the Sam Mbakwe Executive Council Chambers Government House Owerri.
In appreciation of the role the retired soldiers played in securing the country and their readiness to serve in retirement, Governor Uzodimma handed over a brand new 18-seater executive (VIP) Bus to the legion officials, in keeping with their request for a means of transportation.
Besides, the governor also donated undisclosed cash to support their work, the families of their departed members, and their proper conduct in helping to keep the peace.
The governor congratulated the Imo State president of the association, Comrade Alphonsus Anyanwu, the coordinator of Military Widows in the state, Mrs Joy Moses and their team, as well as the Nigerian Army, for setting aside a day to remember their colleagues who paid the supreme price for Nigeria to be one.
He advised that the emblem appeal fund-raising day should be taken seriously and, if possible, held at the same time as that of the federal government to enable the members to raise enough funds to manage their organisation.
“The peace we have in the county today is a supreme prize for our past heroes; hence, we need to reciprocate the gesture by showing care to those they left behind; the main reason the government of Imo State takes it seriously is to support all their programmes,” the governor said.
He commended their contributions to society and insisted that they have shown a great deal of commitment to helping maintain peace in Imo State and elsewhere.
The governor also commended all security agencies for always being vigilant in defending the state against insurgency and terrorism.
Uzodimma assured that the government would meet with the Nigerian Legion’s leadership to determine how best to engage the members “to protect the civil space, government, and private assets that are being grossly vandalised.”
He encouraged them to continue to keep fit and to do what they know best, and he assured them that, as partners in progress, they should never tire of helping to protect society.
In her welcome remarks, the commissioner for women affairs and vulnerable groups, Mrs Nkechinyere Ugwu, thanked the governor and his wife for the numerous ways they have supported the widows of the fallen heroes in the past years through different funding modes.
She said the appeal fund launch was a way of showing solidarity and support to the legion, the wives of fallen heroes, and their families and of carrying out projects that will benefit them.
Mrs Ugwu then appealed to the audience for generous support.
In his address, the president of the Nigerian Legion, Imo State chapter, Comrade Anyanwu, also thanked the governor and his wife for their support and special assistance to the union in general and the military widows in particular.
He appealed to the Governor to consider re-engaging the veterans in security matters in the State.
He had earlier appealed to the governor to give them a vehicle, a permanent site to erect their secretariat, and an enhanced donation to the fund to help them solve their numerous problems.
The coordinator of Military Widows in Imo State, Mrs. Moses, captured the generosity of the Governor and his wife in a sentence: “ We have never had it so good.”
Highlights of the ceremony included the decoration of the governor, his deputy, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, and others with the Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem and Governor Uzodimma’s presentation of a VIP bus to the legion.
Senator Osita Izunaso, who represents Imo West, and members of the State Expanded Executive Council were present at the launch.
Coordinator of the Military Widows Association in Imo State, Mrs. Joy Moses, decorated Governor Hope Uzodimma with the Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem during the launch and fundraising ceremony at the Sam Mbakwe Executive Chambers, Government House Owerri.
