VICE-PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, on Friday, performed first official presidential function when he presided over the 2010 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration at the Arcade, Abuja.
The vice-president arrived at the venue of the event at 10.00 a.m., accompanied by mounted presidential troops, and inspected a guard of honour mounted by a detachment of the army, navy, air force and the Nigerian Legion.
The opening prayers for the repose of the souls of the officers and men of the Armed Forces, who paid the supreme price to keep Nigeria as a country, were said by Director of Islamic Affairs, Nigerian Army, Lieutenant-Colonel A.A Baba, and Squadron Leader, Y.E Dada.
Vice-President Jonathan laid the wreath at the Arcade, and was followed in doing so by the Senate President, David Mark; Speaker, House of Representatives, ‘Demeji Bankole; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloysius Kastina-Alu; Minister of Defence, Major-General Godwin Abbe (rtd); Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Adamu Aliero and Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Abdulrahman Adamu.
Others that laid the wreath at the remembrance Arcade included the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Abdulrahman Dambazzau; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ishaya Iko Ibrahim; Chief of Air Staff, Marshal Olusyi Petirin and the Inspector General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo.
This year’s event was devoid of the usual representatives of widows of dead officers and other ranks laying the wreath. The event, which marked the end of a one-month activities lined up for the celebration, was also low keyed.
Twenty-one gun salutes was ceremony was observed in memory of the fallen heroes, while the vice-president later released white pigeons to signify peace in the country.