by Kelechi Anyikude

As we mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, it is time to pause, consider and reflect on the true meaning of this day and our roles as Nigerian citizens. The Armed Forces Remembrance Day represents a national day of reverence and awareness, honouring those Nigerians who died while defending our beloved country and her values. While these heroes should be honoured daily by citizens for their immense contribution they made towards defending and securing our country, we should especially honour them on the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

Hundreds of young men and women have perished in war, especially during the Boko Haram insurgency, Biafra war and several peacekeeping missions at home and abroad with each soldier hoping for peace to be restored. My heart bleeds when I think about these soldiers that have left their families behind. Taking a day to remember them for paying the ultimate sacrifice is the least we can do for them. If not for their courage, dedication and sacrifice, the freedom we have as Nigerians would have been long gone.

The thought of the soldiers leaving their families, friends and community, knowing that they may never come back home again is heartbreaking. Most of these brave soldiers definitely had this very thought as they kissed their families goodbye. Even those fortunate to make it back home returned with eternal physical and mental scars of war, with many of these soldiers still feeling the agony of losing their colleagues on the battlefield. For this reason, we should take the time to remember those who have fallen and those who courageously served our nation well.

I do not think that Nigerians are doing enough in terms of remembering these heroes especially in the days leading up to the armed forces remembrance day. It is quite clear that most Nigerians don’t buy and wear the remembrance emblem. In fact, predominantly top government functionaries, civil servants, uniformed men and newscasters wear them. This could either be due to lack of awareness from the Nigerian Legion who is in charge of producing and selling these emblems, or Nigerians not being bothered to buy and wear the emblems. The money generated from the sale of these emblems actually goes towards catering for the families of our lost heroes, our heroes injured/disabled in conflicts and our veterans. In the United Kingdom where I reside, their emblem which is called a poppy is worn by many citizens with so much pride, with money realised going towards the heroes of the country with more than £40 million pounds raised across the UK.

Personally, I buy the emblems from Nigeria and wear them in the UK with so much pride. I wear the emblem to work, church and to the stadium for the Arsenal FC matches and I have been doing it for the last four years. I buy and share to friends as well. In wearing them, I also create awareness and encourage others to buy. When British people ask me questions about what I am wearing, I just tell them it’s our ‘Nigerian Poppy’ and they understand it immediately and offer warm words to the troops and the fallen. This is just my little way of saying thank you to our heroes.

So how can we patriotic citizens effectively and collectively remember these heroes especially in the months leading up to the Armed Forces Remembrance Day?

Firstly, the Nigerian Legion encourage Nigerians to buy these emblems by creating appropriate awareness on the sale of the emblems, the essence of wearing them and how the money will be used (accountability is key here). The Nigerian Legion should report the amount raised per year and how the funds are/were disbursed. This awareness can be done through the media through constant radio and TV jingles, adverts and newspaper publications. Being a charitable cause, I honestly expect the media to create this awareness free of charge. Also, it could be made mandatory that corporate offices and banks be made as sales points for the emblems.

Secondly, Nigerians should buy and wear these emblems with a sense of patriotism and pride. The should see the Nigerian Legion as a charity and emblem sale as a charity event geared towards providing financial, social and emotional support to the families of the fallen soldiers, injured servicemen, retired servicemen, veterans, those currently serving in the Nigerian Armed Forces and their dependants.

Thirdly, the Nigerian Legion through the Nigerian Government needs to make these emblems available in the diaspora. Also, the Armed Forces Remembrance Day should be marked in all Nigerian Embassies around the world and appropriate awareness created for diasporans to attend to pay their respects.

Fourthly, another thing we can do as patriotic citizens of Nigeria to remember our fallen soldiers is to visit a war memorial site at our own convenience. These memorial sites which are known as cenotaphs are erected in memory of the Unknown Soldier and are dedicated to all soldiers that have sacrificed their lives for our dear nation and those who will sacrifice their lives in the future. The memorial sites are scattered all over Nigeria. We should endeavour to visit them.

 

The public outcry, grief and sadness that greeted the death of Col. Abu Ali and other brave soldiers involved in the war against Boko Haram is a pointer that Nigerians can support these worthy Armed  Forces Remembrance Emblem cause. This will go a long way to show that we appreciate the ultimate sacrifices of our fallen heroes and also assure those serving their fatherland that their service will never be forgotten.

Let me appreciate and salute our courageous and brave men and women of the Armed Forces who are grappling with the Boko Haram insurgency. They have indeed displayed commitment and unalloyed loyalty to Nigeria. I also salute the gallant men and women of the Armed Forces who have lost their lives during this insurgency. May their souls Rest in Peace.

Finally, to mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, I have decided to institute an essay competition amongst Primary and Secondary School students in Nigeria in order to create educate, create awareness and promote not only the Armed Forces Remembrance Day but also to imbibe the act of honouring heroes of our time. Details of this essay competition will be released later in the year in time for the 2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day. Thank you for reading and May God bless Nigeria.

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Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Dr Kelechi Anyikude is a Research Associate at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom