Lawyer urges FG to motivate military

chika ebuzor

January 15, 2016 6:12 AM

He said the state and local governments should contribute their quota by way of setting aside an amount of money for the upkeep of the families of these fallen heroes.

Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

A legal practitioner, Mr Spurgeon Attaine, has urged the Federal Government to come up with policies that will motivate the country’s armed forces to always give their best for the nation.

Attaine was speaking against the backdrop of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, celebrated on January 15.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday that the country’s fallen heroes should be adequately remunerated to boost the morale of the officers and men of the armed forces still in active service.

"If you celebrate past heroes very well and then the families of past heroes are adequately taken care of, it will become incentive.

"It will give them some kind of positive feeling; it will motivate the other officers, who are still in service and even encourage those yet to join the armed forces to do the country proud.

"These people have laid down their lives in the past for the survival of our country, since independence in 1960.

"A lot of Nigerians died during the civil war, yet our country is not celebrating these people enough.

"It is not enough for the country to roll out drums on every Jan. 15 and begin to deliver speeches that are not backed by action.

"From now on let us look forward; the country should spell out what each officer stands to gain in the event of falling on the battle field; what the family will have as benefit and how they will be catered for.

"These are the issues that should always agitate the mind of the Federal Government.’’

Attaine also called on corporate organisations, the state and local governments to assist the Federal Government in boosting the welfare of the families of fallen heroes.

"The state governments of this country should not leave this to the Federal Government alone."

chika ebuzor