BEVERLY HILLS, January 08, (THEWILL) – Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has declared that the efforts and patriotism of Nigeria’s fallen military men will not be forgotten.
Speaking on the occasion of the Interdenominational Church Service for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration held at the National Christian Centre Abuja, on Sunday, Osinbajo declared that the military’s victory over the Boko Haram insurgents is an evidence of the ascendancy of good over evil.
“The victorious fight of our Military against the evil ideology of Boko Haram is evidence of the ascendancy of good over evil,” he said.
“Soldiers occupy a special place in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The military profession is the only profession to which Saints are compared. The only profession to which the body of Christ is compared.
“The body of Christ is not compared with doctors, businessmen, bankers, etc. I am a lawyer and I know what the scripture says about lawyers. There are two reasons why followers of Jesus Christ are described as soldiers.
“The first are the attributes that soldiers have: Unity, Loyalty, Discipline, and the most important being the willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for country.
“The second reason why Christians are described in the gospel as soldiers is the recognition that life itself is warfare. That life is a war. It is a battle between good and evil, light and darkness.
“But it is only a fool that does not know that the physical is determined by the spiritual. That every physical war has an underlying spiritual foundation. So as we fight the physical battles we recognize that really we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
“And so today as we celebrate our fallen heroes we do so with wisdom of the Scriptures.
“First, that the physical battles they fought for Freedom, Justice and recently against terrorism and hate are battles fought to ensure that good would prevail over evil. That they fought to ensure that light would prevail over darkness.
“The victorious fight of our Military against the evil ideology of Boko Haram is evidence of the ascendancy of good over evil. Our men and women of the Armed Forces have in the past few years battled an ideology that supports the killing of children on their beds, and the rape and abduction of women.
“Many of our men of the forces died in the NorthEast. At some point, this evil had taken over 14 local governments. But men whose wives are now widows and children fatherless, gave their lives to take back those territories.
“Secondly, as we remember our departed military heroes, we also celebrate the attribute of brotherhood and unity that the military has demonstrated in the history of our country. Against Boko Haram, they stood side-by-side Christians, Muslims and other faiths. They stood and still stand united from the NorthEast, SouthEast, NorthWest, SouthWest, North Central, and South South.
“They are today mobilizing in Southern Kaduna, Christians, Muslims, and from every tribe and tongue in Nigeria to defeat hate, intolerance and terrorism. They are prepared to lay down their lives to prove that our country belongs to all regardless of religion or ethnicity. That when any Nigerian is killed, it is evil that has prevailed. It is darkness that has won.
“Today we also celebrate the wives, husbands, children that our fallen heroes have left behind. Your husbands, wives, brothers or sisters are true heroes. Your loss, your pains and deprivations are ours as well.
“We are committed to ensuring that our fallen heroes, especially their dreams for their children will never be forgotten.”
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