The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has advocated support for wounded soldiers and families to help their recovery process.
He made the call at a reception organised by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for him and his wife, the Duchess, Meghan Markle, in Abuja in continuation of their visit to promote the Invictus games.
He said their injuries reflected the true cost of conflict with profound impact on their children, families and nations alike.
Prince Harry said the 50 wounded soldiers he interacted with in Kaduna displayed low morale, depicting an end to life.
However, he said the Invictus games offered them a new pathway to recover and still serve their nation.
He said the proposed Invictus Centre would give the wounded soldiers new life post- recovery.
“It was and is a privilege to have Nigeria become the first African country to join in vectors, and it certainly won’t be the last. Seeing the plans for the new Invictus Center makes me very emotional and to hear from the minister himself to say that it’s going to be made very quickly makes me very happy as well.
“As we look forward, let’s keep in mind that by uniting our efforts, we can make remarkable progress in acknowledging the sacrifices made by our military personnel, and most importantly, their families, offering support for their path to rehabilitation and recovery. Our hope is that the warmth and hospitality that have been so graciously offered to us will then be extended through admiration and respect for the service members and their families long after we’re gone.
“As some of you know, when one person serves, the whole family serves and we cannot leave families behind in the healing journey. When one person’s trauma affects those around them, the healing of that one person can affect and improve the entire community.”
Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru said the federal government would continue to support wounded soldiers in their recovery process.
“Today, I want to reiterate the unwavering commitment of the Nigerian government to the health of our wounded soldiers. We are dedicated to the recovery and rehabilitation in this pursuit. We are eager to collaborate closely with the Invictus Games foundation to extend its vision to all formations within the armed forces of Nigeria,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Defence understands ongoing sacrifices made by our soldiers in numerous operations against adversaries.
“We want to assure them that the government has a robust programme in place to support their recovery in the event of injury,” he added.
Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa restated the commitment of the Armed Forces to support the healing process of wounded soldiers.
“Personally, I feel so excited in here this evening. One is that we never thought this single action of giving them the opportunity to attend the games would make this difference.
“It gladdens our hearts to see how excited, how happy, how joyous our troops that were injured feel. The few of them that represented us in Germany made a great difference. But for them to be able to have worn gold and bronze for the first time, I think it’s something that is highly commendable.
“I want to say a big thank you to the Duke and Duchess for that singular action. It looked small when it started in 2014 and today, who knows? In the future we will be competing in the Olympics. We’re looking forward to that and we assure you that the armed forces of Nigeria are fully involved in this”.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja approved N88m for the purchase of prosthetics to one of the wounded soldiers who lost both hands during operation in 2021.
Duke Plays sit-down volleyball with wounded soldiers
Yesterday the couple spent time with Nigeria Unconquered, which compiles the country’s Invictus Games team.
The duchess was to later co-host a Women in Leadership event with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization.
After arriving at the Armed Forces’ Officers’ Mess and being given scarves in the green and white colours of Nigeria, Harry and Meghan watched a game of sitting volleyball, before Harry was invited to play with the team.
The Duke participated in a few rounds of the game, which were played by ‘Team Harry’ and ‘Team CDS’ – referring to the military’s chief of defence staff who is behind the couple’s visit to Nigeria.
The other players were army veterans, most wounded in battle against the country’s Islamist insurgency.
On the duke’s team was former Nigerian soldier, Peacemaker Azuegbulam, who lost his leg in combat against Boko Haram. He became the first African to win gold at the Invictus Games in Germany last year.
The Duke then joined in the team’s war cry before speaking with families and friends of the athletes.
Last year, Nigeria became the first African country to take part in the Invictus Games, a sporting competition for wounded military personnel and veterans, co-founded by Prince Harry in 2014.
After the sit-down volleyball game, the duke and duchess attended a reception which included performances from drummers and traditional dancers as well as remarks from various officials.
Chairwoman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, shared her delight at the duchess’s Nigerian heritage, telling Meghan she was too beautiful not to have been Nigerian.
She presented Meghan and Harry with an outfit made of aso oke, a hand-woven cloth from south-west Nigeria.