National flag to fly at half-mast, Buhari, approves Monday work-free day for the military

From Monday, May 24, 2021, through Wednesday, May 26, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that the national flag be flown at half-mast in all public buildings, structures, and official homes across the country.

The presidential directive is in memory of Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, the late Chief of Army Staff, as well as other top military leaders and personnel who perished in a plane crash on May 21, 2021.

This information was revealed in a statement signed by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), on Sunday, May 23, 2021.

Mustapha, in the statement, said that the President also approved Monday as a work-free day for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

President Buhari speaks with the wife of the late Chief of Army Staff
President Buhari described Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, the late Chief of Army Staff, as an outstanding soldier and an institution builder, who fought valiantly for Nigeria until he breathed his last.

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In a telephone conversation on Sunday evening with Mrs Fati Ibrahim Attahiru, wife of the late COAS, and the spouses of the other deceased officers through her, President Buhari hailed the sacrifices of the military men who lost their lives, and the Armed Forces in general, saying that Nigerians would continue to appreciate and support the fearlessness with which the country’s courageous soldiers were confronting the threats facing the nation.

He gave the grieving spouses assurances that the nation would never forget the supreme sacrifice of their spouses, urging them to take solace in the surge of extraordinary feelings of emotions across regions, religions, and tribes all over the country in appreciation of their sacrifices.

Mrs Attahiru, on behalf of the rest of the families, thanked the President for the love and care he had shown to them.