The United Nations has announced that it will honour three Nigerian soldiers, amongst others, who lost theirs lives while serving as peacekeepers, in different countries.
This was issued in a statement by the National Information Officer, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Oluseyi Soremekun. He said the the commemoration will begin on Tuesday, May 29 and the honouring of fallen heroes will take place in New York on Friday, June 1.
Nigerians to be honored are: Ali Suleiman, a Lt. Col. who served with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); Warrant Officer Remmy Amakwe who was deployed with the African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID); and Kolawole Shogaolu who served in a civilian capacity in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres is expected to visit the United Nations Peacekeepers in Mali on May 29, to show support and to thank the soldiers, who sacrifice their livelihood to keep the peace enjoyed by many countries.
More so, the Secretary-General will on June 1, preside over the ceremony marking the International Day of Peacekeepers at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Nigeria is the 41st largest contributor of soldiers, policemen and police women to the UN peacekeeping missions. It currently contributes more than 500 personnel to the UN peace operations in various countries such as the, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Mali, Sudan, South Sudan and the Western Sahara.
by Valentine Chinyem, News of Nigeria (Nigeria)
2018.05.25