The Women Corps of the Nigerian Legion, Lagos State Command, will hold a Five Million Salute 100-Hour Fundraiser and Awareness project to support the families of Nigerian fallen heroes.
This was revealed at the awareness programme held in Maryland, Lagos State, on Tuesday.
Speaking during the programme, the Vice Chairman of the Legion, Muftau Omoibe, stressed that the fallen heroes and members of the armed forces who died during the civil war, Boko Haram attacks, and other operations in other countries are not well taken care of.
The 90-year-old, who retired as a sergeant 42 years ago,
He said, “The government cannot do everything; we are not taken care of according to our expectations. It was after the war that the Nigerian army was reorganised. This is why there is a better condition of service for the present servicemen, but we soldiers who fought during the Civil War are not catered for at all.
“I retired with N76 as my pension; today it is still about N45,000, and it cannot care for my needs or those of my family. I have to struggle; most of us still alive are suffering, and some of us are homeless. We expect more from the government, although Lagos State is trying”.
Speaking in a separate interview with newsmen, the Media Director for the Nigerian Legion Five Million Salute and 100 Hours Fundraiser and Awareness Project, Olafemi George, disclosed that the project will take place in various areas of Lagos State and will last from September to October.
He said, “We are starting and the first hundred hours will end on Thursday at 4 pm. This is the first time that any Legion will be holding this type of salute in Nigeria.
“Immediately after the 100-hour salute, we will begin the five million salute. 100 female Legion volunteers from Ogun, Oyo, and Lagos states will be coming together to help sell N5 million stickers across Lagos states. These all-purpose stickers can be used on cars or doors.
“The fund is to support the widows and children of fallen veterans whose major problem is accommodation, so we are hoping to raise funds to enable us to get a Transit Estate, where the family of the deceased will have accommodation and will not have to be thrown out of their home after they have lost their breadwinners”.
One of the volunteers, Glory Wealth, said, “We need more encouragement, and we need more Nigerians to come and support us”.
