Governor Aregbesola

Ex-soldiers should be rehabilitated, says Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged Nigerians to rededicate themselves to rebuilding the nation so that peace will reign.

He spoke yesterday during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration in Osogbo, the state capital.

Aregbesola said every citizen must work for a united Nigeria free of poverty, unemployment, self-centredness and ethnic chauvinism; a country where genuine democracy will be assured.

He said: “We must all participate in realising this dream. We must not succumb to the debilitating power of hopelessness. Let us take a cue from those who have died for the country. They were hopeful that better days would come for Nigeria, otherwise, they would not have fought till death.

“We must draw inspiration from this kind of mind set. The rising resignation on the part of many compatriots, with respect to the present multi-layered woes of the country, is not in the least helpful.”

Aregbesola said people must avoid turning Nigeria into a country that does not appreciate the positive contributions of its citizens.

Urging Nigerians to appreciate the noble undertakings of soldiers, he said the families of the slain heroes must not be abandoned.

The governor said: “The Federal Government needs to come up with an effective system of reintegrating discharged members of the armed forces into the civil society.

“Retirement from this area of service should not serve as the beginning of the erosion of the human dignity of these officers. In the same vein, since there are two sides to a coin, the discharged officers must ensure that their conducts do not undermine military honour and integrity.”

Aregbesola urged Nigerians to make up their minds that as the country enters its election years, polling booths will not become war zones.

At the ceremony were Deputy Governor Titi Laoye-Tomori; Commissioner of Police Mrs. Dorothy Gimba, and the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, among others.