By Vera Wisdom-Bassey
The Nigerian Army, 81 Division, recently bid goodbye to officers that gallantly served the nation. It will certainly be a day the retired personnel would remember for long.
The venue of the programme, Command Day Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos, was filled to capacity. The celebrated officers exchanged pleasantries and banter at one another.
The Nigerian Army Band was on hand to complement the disc jockey to render songs of yore. There was enough to eat and drink for all that attended the event.
The maiden edition was the brainchild of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, who said that all retiring soldiers must be given a sendoff and appreciated.
Yahaya, represented by General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, Major General Umaru Musa, charged the ex-officers not to rest on their oars until the war against insecurity is won. He stated that the army was open to their contributions and support to better secure Nigeria from external aggression.
He also disclosed that some of the officers that were disengaged could still be recalled and engaged in some strategic areas because of their years of experience.
Also, the commandant of the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Center, Oshodi, Lagos, Air Vice Marshal Idi Gamso Lubo, called on the retiring officers to know that they were now consultants.
He also urged them not to forget their own security, saying they must be conscious of this at all times.
One of the disengaged officers, Edward Onyechesi, who served the army for 35 years, and faced combat in Sudan and Liberia, said God spared his life.
He, therefore, called on Nigerian soldiers in service to remain steadfast in the service to nation and God.
He also advised his colleagues in service to take every available opportunity to improve themselves, particularly in the area of self-development and capacity-building.
He said: “Today, I am a lawyer, a disaster management personnel. All these did not come by chance. Always remember that there is life after service.”