MESSAGE AT THE ARMED FORCES INTER-DENOMINATIONAL SERVICE
MESSAGE AT THE ARMED FORCES INTER-DENOMINATIONAL SERVICE, ABUJA, 12th JANUARY, 2025, BY MOST REV. IGNATIUS A. KAIGAMA, CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF ABUJA.
Scripture Readings:
Psalm 46:1-11
Isaiah 61:1-11
Ephesians 2:1-10
“Glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Eph 3:20-21).
Today, we fittingly remember with gratitude and pride our fallen heroes who honourably served and courageously sacrificed their lives for our fatherland, Nigeria. Their sacrifice is a reminder of Christ’s salvific sacrifice and a call to be prepared if possible, to lay down our own lives in service of others (cf. Jn. 15:13).
This event is of immense significance to us as one people and one nation. God has always blessed Nigeria with courageous, intelligent and dedicated military men and women. We owe a lot to our fallen heroes of the armed forces, for the supreme price paid and sacrifice made to unite this country and to represent it abroad excellently. Their loyalty, commitment, dedication to service have culminated in the freedom, democracy, and some progress we are enjoying today in Nigeria.
The leaders of the nation at the end of the Civil War thought the Armed Forces Remembrance Day would help heal the wounds of the War. May the healing be permanent and may we never ever experience any war again.
I recall how my uncle left home when I was a child to join the army during the Civil War. We never saw him again. This Armed Forces Remembrance Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the loss of friends, colleagues, and family members.
Joining the military is a call to a very serious patriotic service. You know the outcome could be that by God’s grace, you could serve out your years and retire gloriously – officers are pulled out in a special ceremony. Some retire to get their benefits and enjoy retirement with their families. Others were not so lucky. Their lives were cut short on account of military duties. Their wives became young widows, their children rendered fatherless or motherless as the case may be.
The Defence Headquarters on 8th January, 2025, gave some information about terrorists who launched an attack on the military base, killing some soldiers, while many of the insurgents were killed in the Damboa Local Government area of Borno state. Remember too how since the First and Second World Wars and the Nigerian Civil War, many have lost their lives.
We owe it a duty to pray for those who risked their lives to defend us and our territorial integrity. By this honour we give them, we are saying that Military service is not just socially a useful job but a good and honorable vocation which is also a very risky one.
This prayerful remembrance today of our men and women in the armed forces who died for the cause of peace is important and it is edifying to see important personalities present here. We must never forget those who died gallantly in active service and the families they left behind. We doff our hats to veterans still alive.
A good tribute would be to help their families by donating to them either personally or collectively. The political authorities must ensure the prompt payment of benefits to families of fallen heroes and pay close attention to the welfare of the veterans still alive. This will motivate others who are serving presently in the armed forces to give their all, by serving selflessly.
Increased insecurity has continued to haunt our nation. All hope is not lost however; we are still optimistic that Nigeria can come back from the brink. We continue to insist that the government has a constitutional and statutory duty to protect human rights and secure basic justice for all. The role of government is to guarantee the minimum conditions that make human rights and justice possible. We thank God for the measure of peace we presently enjoy in this country, but our situation seems to be the peace of “the graveyard.”
One reason we have conflicts all over the world, but especially in Nigeria is because there is a disparity in material well-being. The gap between the rich and the poor has continued to widen. The “haves” gather their harvest into the barn and the “have nots,” the dispossessed, wait eagerly with all resentments in their hearts to burn the barns and destroy the owners. This, certainly, is a breeding ground for conflict.
We also have ethnic division, the son of the soil syndrome versus the stranger tussle; sad to say that, even in the Church, this ugly monster is beginning to rear its head. We also have the unnecessary distinction between the Alhaji and the commoner; the Muslim and the Christian; and the Protestant and the Catholic. These are all veritable grounds for breeding conflict.
But most importantly, conflicts are rooted in the violation of rights. We all have a number of rights and freedom and in exercising them, we tend to forget other peoples’ equal rights and freedom. We forget that our rights end, when and where our neighbor’s rights begin. We therefore owe each other a duty to respect each other’s rights and freedom.
The first step to rebuilding Nigeria is justice; not economic growth, not job growth, not any growth. As long as there are no consequences for wrongdoing, the system will never outgrow the mire of corruption. Since it is justice that brings peace and since peace will avoid or at least minimize conflicts, we must ensure that the peace we advocate is founded on justice and not on other weaker foundations like power, violence, wealth, suppression, rights of minorities and what have you.
To those still active in military service, remember Jesus saying to the apostles in Mark 6:45-52 “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” The counsel of St. Paul is important too. Only do “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). I salute your unwavering commitment to the safety, peace, unity and territorial integrity of our nation. You should not allow political, racial, regional, and religious interests undermine your cohesion.
The various arms of our security agents must collaborate; working together like the ants. Ants are known for their teamwork and ability to achieve greater goals when working together. They have the Queen ant, the worker or soldier ants, the drone ants, etc. They work together for the survival, growth, and reproduction of the ant colony.
The authorities must ensure that good and functional weapons are available, provide the resources to acquire transparently and accountably modern technology, to lessen casualties as they engage in a multidimensional fight with bandits, terrorists, criminals, kidnappers, etc. With arms and strength of the will, our armed forces men and women can decimate the enemies who don’t wish Nigeria and Nigerians well.
There is a message of hope from our President, Ahmed Bola Tinubu. In his New Year broadcast he said among other things, “To all citizens, your sacrifices have not been in vain …. Together, let us stay the course of nation-building.
The New Year will bring us closer to the bright future we all desire and the Nigeria of our dreams.”
We strongly call for compassionate and service-oriented leadership. Let this year be one of renewing our resolutions to become better persons, more patriotic Nigerians, men and women of firm commitment to our religious values, not fanatically though; to live and work with others in harmony and in peace. We need a new attitude, a new mentality that is centred on national interests.
My prayer is that one day Nigeria will rise up from its knees and come to terms with its hopes, aspirations, and destiny as a nation.
I wish to vigorously repeat my call for a renewed politics that focuses on moral principles, the promotion of human life and dignity, and the pursuit of the common good.
A philosopher once said,
“Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the world will be clean.“
Sweep the dirt, the dishonesty, the corruption, from your heart and Nigeria shall be clean.
May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen and bind us together as we walk through 2025. May he guide our leaders to bring about the liberation of those held in captivity by kidnappers or terrorists and their reunification with their families and loved ones as well as bring succour and relief to Nigerians experiencing unusual economic hardships.
I wish you all the very best of 2025.
God bless us all in Jesus name.
