Defence college alumni, NGOs distribute meat to families of fallen heroes
The Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC), in collaboration with two NGOs, UFUK Dialogue and Near Foundation, on Sunday distributed cow meat to 400 families of fallen heroes and the less privileged in Abuja.
UFUK Dialogue is a Turkey-based NGO that is promoting dialogues on cultural co-existence, while Near Foundation is an NGO based in Switzerland, responsible for funding ecosystem development.
The President of UFUK Dialogue, Mr Emrah Ilgen, while delivering his address at the National Defence College, said the organisation thought it wise to extend assistance to the families of fallen heroes during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
Ilgen said that the organisations slaughtered a total of 1,600 cows and distributed the meat to the families of fallen heroes across 26 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
He assured that the organisation would continue to support programmes aimed at enhancing the living condition of the less privileged in the country.
Earlier, the President of the alumni association, retired Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi, said the objective of the gesture was to put a smile on the faces of the families of fallen heroes.
In his words, “We have our soldiers that have been in the field. We lost so many of them, their families are out there not finding it so easy and their children as well.
“We feel this is an opportunity to reach out to them, to put a smile on the faces of some of them. It is a great opportunity and we had to partner with some organisations, that could support us to be able to reach out to them effectively
“It is not just a Sallah thing. It is an opportunity to reach out to both Christians and Muslims on various occasions. So during Easter and Christmas celebrations, we will have a similar event.
“So that we will be able to reach out to various groups and families. We are taking care of 400 families mostly widows of our fallen heroes and the needy among us and it cut across the Armed Forces and the police.”
Also, the wife of the Commandant, National Defence College, Jamila Bashir, thanked the three organisations for finding National Defence College a place whereby they could come and present something to women.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Ms Lakunuya Bello, who commended the organisers for the gesture, emphasised the need for government to support the educational pursuit of the children of the fallen heroes in the country.