Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has praised the noble sacrifices made by officers and men of the Armed Forces to keep Nigeria united, declaring that the country will not be divided.

This was expressed by Obaseki during the introduction of the 2022 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem in Benin on Thursday.

According to him, “from the First World War through our civil war till this day, where we are still losing patriots,” most Nigerians have benefited from the selfless efforts of members of the military services.

He stressed the importance of remembering and appreciating fallen heroes as well as the tremendous courage of serving valiant military.

“As a state and a country, we remain very optimistic that despite the threats of insecurity and banditry which we face as a country and a state, that we will overcome.

“We are hopeful that we will continue to secure our state and our country because we have courageous people like you, who are ready to serve and sacrifice for the country.

“That is why we take events like this very seriously and to encourage the younger ones what sacrifices to the country means and also to encourage those of you who are in service that your efforts will not be in vain.

“This occasion also reminds us of the need to jealousy guard the unity of our country.

“We should not encourage the kind of rhetoric that we have been parading in this country today about the unity of our great country. Nigeria has come to stay, and Nigeria cannot and will not be divided.

“It has to be so, because people have paid a supreme sacrifice to keep this country together, and it will not be right or fair to do anything to make it look as if those people who fought for this country did not know what they were doing.”

The governor committed to replacing the legion’s Hilux van and including the legion in the state’s security architecture when he launched the Emblem with N10 million.

“We need your services, we need people like you to help us improve the work being done by our local vigilantes across the various ward and local governments,’’ Obaseki stated.

Mr. Marcus Onobun, Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, contributed 50% of his salary to the legion, while Mr. Tony Aziegbemi, state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, donated N1 million.

Mr. Ignatius Enabulele, the state chairman of the Nigerian Legion, expressed his support for combating insecurity in the state.