March 2, 2015 – Thousands of Nigerians in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja under the aegis of Support Our Troops Foundation today held a solidarity match to show their support for the Nigerian Armed Forces in fighting insurgency in the country.
Among dignitaries at the event was Honourable Minister for Culture and Tourism and the Supervising Minister of Information, Chief Edem Duke, who represented the President and Commander – in – Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
The epoch making event according to Director of defence Information, Major Chris Olukolade, started from Eagle Square and took the group through the major streets of Abuja to Defence Headquarters where they were received by Officers and Men of the Armed Forces. They sang, chanted and waved placards with several inscriptions like “I Support Our Troops, Great Army – Great Victory, Our Armed Forces Has Done It Before And They Will Do It Again, Thank You For Keeping Peace In North East, You Are Not Alone – We Are With You, One Country, One People, One Armed Forces, Victory All The Times And Victory Always”.
Addressing the crowd on arrival at the Defence Headquarters, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Support Our Troops Foundation, Mrs. Funmi Ogbue, stressed that the Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-ethnic organization, but a citizen organization that is inspired by patriotism.
Mrs Ogbue maintained that there is no political undertone attached to the movement and did not intend to politicize it but “we are inspired by share patriotism to entrench the culture of supporting our troops, to demonstrate in practical terms that we are in support of Nigerian Armed Forces. We are here today to walk and march to show you that we appreciate and love you. We stand in solidarity with you to boost your morale”.
In his address, the representative of the President, Chief Edem Duke commended the initiative of the Group and thanked Nigerians for the zeal of patriotism with which they have exhibited by showing gratitude, support and solidarity through the march. He eulogized the bravery of the military “it is with great pleasure that I join my voice in appreciating the bravery of our men in uniform in the theatre of insurgency across the country, especially in the North Eastern part of the country”. He charged the media to garner more support for the Armed Forces by promoting their activities and not to condemn them.
In his response, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, who was represented by Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen Chris Olukolade, on behalf of the Armed Forces thanked the organizers for appreciating the sacrifices and commitment of the Armed Forces and described their action as a show of patriotism and love for the fatherland.
He urged Nigerians to always remain vigilant and cooperate with security forces “as we are assiduously working to restore normalcy and ensure sustainable peace and security in every part of our dear country NEVER AGAIN will terrorists have free reign in our land, NEVER AGAIN will terrorists occupy any part of our sovereignty. The push is on and there is no going back until that mission is accomplished”. He declared.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of Certificates of bravery by the group to the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs in appreciation of their bravery in fighting to defend the country against terror.
