On Tuesday, the Nigerian Army hosted a splendid regimental dinner and awards ceremony for 113 retired generals who served the nation for 35 years with distinction and honour.
The distinguished guests included one full general, a lieutenant general, 67 major generals and 44 brigadier generals who retired or are due to retire within the year.
Among the honourees were the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, the former Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya and the former Chief of Defence Intelligence, Samuel Adebayo.
The Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru, praised the generals for their extraordinary services and profound dedication to the nation said, They had acquired valuable experiences and skills, as well as integrity, discipline, dedication, loyalty and respect for diversity, that would serve them well in their future endeavours.
Also commended the generals for leading their troops with courage, wisdom and determination, and for devoting themselves to the protection and defence of the nation. He also lauded the generals for their relentless pursuit of excellence and their unwavering commitment to duty, selfless sacrifice and astute leadership, which left an indelible mark on the armed forces and the nation.
He encouraged the generals to consider joining politics, so as to bring discipline and love of the country to the system.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, expressed his appreciation to the retired senior officers for their services to the Nigerian Army.
Mr Lagbaja, a lieutenant general, congratulated them for reaching the point of disengaging from service in a meritorious manner. He also thanked them for their services to the nation and wished them a rewarding retirement life.
The Chief of Administration (Army) Jimmy Akpor a major general said, the event was organised to pay tribute and express gratitude to the generals for dedicating their lives to the service of the nation.
Mr Akpor said the dinner and award ceremony was a tradition initiated by previous leaderships of the Nigerian army to accord officers a memorable exit from the service. He said the event was a celebration of 113 generals of the Nigerian army who retired this year and those retiring by the end of the year.
