TheCable

Lucky Irabor, the chief of defence staff, says Nigerian students have roles to play in defending the sovereignty of the nation.

Irabor said this over the weekend at the official opening of the renovated Obafemi Awolowo University students’ union building named after Ken Saro-Wiwa, the renowned playwright. He was hanged alongside eight Ogoni activists on November 10, 1995.

Babajide Ogunsanwo, facilitator of the project, said the Ken Saro-Wiwa Peace and Leadership Centre was renovated as part of activities to honour and preserve the contributions of Saro-Wiwa to peace and unity.

He said the renovation was a collaboration between the university’s students’ union representatives, leadership, and a committee of peace and unity ambassadors led by Irabor.

Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff, and Simeon Bamire, OAU VC, inspecting the centre

While addressing those present at the event, Irabor said students need to understand their significant roles in fostering unity and peace.

“Our nation’s sovereignty must not be under threat. If your quest for egalitarian society runs counter to having a secured sovereignty, then there is a problem,” he said.

“It is necessary to understand that you, as men and women that we are looking unto for the future, must know that you and my colleagues in the armed forces and other state agencies must work together to ensure that the sovereignty is safe so that our desire for an egalitarian society is achieved.

“You have a role to play in ensuring that it works, in addition to you being serious with your course and coming out of here with a skill, because the future of our nation and nations across the world is dependent on those who have skills.

“What God has done in my life and in the military, OAU as an institution has a lot of input into it. It is by virtue of the skills that I acquired in the institution and from others that I have put into my over three decades of services in the armed forces of Nigeria.”

Simeon Bamire, the vice-chancellor of the university, in his address, commended the old students and other stakeholders that have contributed to renovating facilities in the school.