Students gift Nigerian Army 3,000 bags of ready-to- use-items

The need to appreciate and encourage the tireless effort of soldiers and men of the armed forces especially those at the battle front has been emphasized by members of the Volt Club, a brain child of students from the Children International School (CIS) Lekki, Lagos.

The Coordinator of the Club, Ruky Peters who was in company of some students of the school to present 3,000 bags of ready- to -use- items to the Chief of Army Staff( COAS) Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the initiative was a way of encouraging Nigerian to show love to soldiers through giving.

She maintained that Nigerians were not doing enough to appreciate the many who put their lives on the line to ensure their safety.

Speaking during the presentation of the bags to the COAS who was represented by the General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Major General Peter Dauke in Lagos, Peters said, ” The aim of the club is to get volunteers who would identify the needs of the people in the community and see how we can make a change.

” We had decided to see how we could put smiles on the faces of soldiers last year and we had raised Ziploc bags which had care packages and a thank you cards from students of our school. We had sent 1,000 Ziploc bags to the 7 Division in Maiduguri Borono state.

” This year again we are happy to say we have 3,000 Ziploc bags for 7 divisions in Maiduguri, 6 Division in Port-Harcourt and 81 Division in Lagos. We are happy to say that soldiers will glad that they are appreciated by members of the Nigerian community especially the young community.

“The Volt club is a student led club which means all of the things you are seeing has been planned by the children. The Ziploc bags are not just coming from the teenagers, but also from children as young as two and half years to 16 years.

“They also have thank you cards saying thank you for protecting us, thank you for lending a hand of service to the Nigerian community and they are also saying thank you for making us safe.” She added.

She said the club was set to start a change reaction of giving to the Nigerian Army. She also called on schools and stakeholders to join the Zip appeal.

The GOC who was filled with great admiration for the students who had come up with the periodic kind gesture noted that the gift will improve the morale of the soldiers and encourage them to do more.

In his remark, Dauke said, ” On behalf of the chief of Army Staff, Officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army and indeed the Armed Forces of Nigeria, I want to thank you for this show of patriotism and compassion to our troops at this auspicious occasion of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations 2018.

” There is no doubt that your kind gesture is born out of deep reflections on our sacrifice in the course of our duties of defending the territorial integrity of our great nation. What you have done is very commendable and goes a long way to show that Nigeria is indeed a great country with very responsible young men and women with great potential.

“Your kind gesture would boost troops’ morale and spur us to do more especially in the fight against terrorism, insurgency and other crimes in order to secure Nigeria. In the Nigerian Army, we take special cognizance of the role of youth and children. It is in this vein that troops welfare is given utmost priority to ensure their families live comfortably to ensure proper upbringing and education of their children and wards.”

Dauke also appealed to the student to pay great attention to their studies as education is the bedrock for national development and a stepping Stone to greatness.

The president of the Club, Angelo Soyannwo said the initiative which started in 2016 was created by the students to show appreciation and respect to the soldiers who do the very dangerous job of protecting the lives and integrity of our nation and by extension all of us.

He said, “While brainstorming ideas we noticed something that people only remember those who have fought and died or those who can no longer fight or have been injured. We realised it was equally important to encourage those who are still fighting and to show our admiration and respect for the sacrifices they make to keep us safe. With this in mind, the Ziploc appeal was created. We consider those who are laying their lives down as heroes and they should be celebrated as such. ”

Each of the Ziploc bags was said to contain bathing soap, tissue, recharge cards, tooth paste, detergent, toothbrush and beverage valued at about N2500 each.

Joy Anyim