Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday deepened the state’s support for military veterans and families of fallen soldiers with a ₦100 million donation and other welfare items to the Nigerian Legion, Lagos State Council, ahead of the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
The governor announced the package during the State Executive Council meeting at Lagos House, Ikeja, which doubled as the venue for the Appeal Fund and formal launching of the Year 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem.
Under the gesture, the Lagos Council of the Nigerian Legion will receive ₦100 million in financial support, four units of two-bedroom apartments located in Ajara, Badagry axis, as well as two pick-up utility vehicles to aid the council’s operations. The state government also presented four cows, 500 bags of rice and other food items to assist members of the Legion and dependants of fallen heroes.
Sanwo-Olu said the annual Emblem Appeal launch, held in advance of the January 15 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, had become a national tradition that Lagos fully embraces, stressing that supporting veterans and families of deceased servicemen is part of the state’s constitutional and moral obligations.
He noted that the country’s sovereignty and relative peace are direct outcomes of the sacrifices made by serving and retired military personnel, including those who paid the supreme price or returned with life-changing injuries.
“It is customary to accede to the yearly requests of the Nigerian Legion. We promise to continue to support the Nigerian Legion, Lagos State Council, in demonstrating our gratitude for the services rendered for the continued existence of the sovereignty of Nigeria,” the governor said.
“Our sovereignty as a nation exists because of these brave men and women. The Emblem Appeal is a responsibility we owe to those who laid down their lives for Nigeria and to those who returned with life-changing injuries. We must remember them in real and tangible ways.
“This is our way of saying thank you for the sacrifices that allow all of us to live in a free and united country,” Sanwo-Olu added, while pinning the 2026 remembrance emblem and calling on public and private sector stakeholders to donate generously to the appeal fund.
Legion Hails Lagos As Model Of Support
Earlier, the Commandant of the Lagos Council of the Nigerian Legion, Mr Akeem Wolimoh, lauded the governor and the state government for what he described as consistent, unmatched support to ex-servicemen and their dependants.
Wolimoh said no other state council of the Nigerian Legion had enjoyed the kind of sustained backing given to the Lagos Chapter, noting that past interventions from the state had significantly improved the living conditions of many members.
According to him, some dependants of fallen and retired servicemen have benefited from skill-acquisition schemes coordinated by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as empowerment programmes run by other ministries, departments and agencies of the Lagos State Government.
He pledged that the Council would deploy the new funds, housing units, vehicles and food support transparently to cushion harsh economic realities for veterans and widows, while also sustaining welfare initiatives for rehabilitated and handicapped ex-servicemen.
Top Government, Military Brass In Attendance
The emblem launch and appeal fund event drew a high-powered audience from the Lagos State Government, the armed forces and the police.
Present were the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat; Secretary to the State Government, Barr. (Mrs) Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Head of Service, Mr Bode Agoro; and the Chief of Staff, Mr Tayo Ayinde, alongside members of the State Executive Council.
The military and security community was represented by the Commander, Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Air Commodore M. A. Imam; the Commander, 9 Brigade, T. A. Lagbaja Cantonment, Ikeja, Brigadier-General A. O. Owolabi; and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, among other senior officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies.
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With the 2026 Emblem Appeal now underway, the Lagos State Government is expected to intensify advocacy and fundraising for veterans’ welfare in the build-up to the national Armed Forces Remembrance Day commemoration on January 15.