 Welcome back, it's still the breakfast on Plus TV Africa. January 15th every year is always marked by Nigerians around the world as the Armed Forces Remembrance Day of the country where the Air Force, the sacrifices, the heroism of the United Nations Armed Forces are celebrated. Now it starts with the launch of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem, an appeal fund you can see we have our own emblem on today. And of course this year the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration was held with Nigerians celebrating and remembering the efforts of the Armed Forces across the 36 states of the country and the FCT Abuja. Of course social media was awash with a lot of beautiful words and videos praising and celebrating the Nigerian Armed Forces to look at the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and what it means for Nigeria, the implications and whether we should be celebrating anything at this point. We have as guests this morning on the breakfast retired Connell Hassan-Stan Label. Good morning to you Connell Hassan-Stan Label, thanks for joining us on Plus TV Africa. Thanks so much Kofi, thanks for having me once again. Do Nigerians have any reason to celebrate its Armed Forces bearing in mind the security situation in the country in recent years? Yeah, thank you once again. Of course Nigerians have reason to celebrate the fall in Europe, these are gentlemen who have laid down their lives for the rest of us to be alive, who have laid down their lives for the unity of our country. Of course we have everything to celebrate them despite the ongoing situation. Okay Connell Sambu, I would also like to ask what would you say are the challenges of the Armed Forces as we are in the midst, I mean we are actually currently in the midst of an insurgent and combatant security challenges. What would you say are the challenges of this Armed Force men? You mean the challenges are to the veterans or you mean the entire Armed Forces? The entire Armed Forces? Of course our challenges are enormous I would say, given the current situation in which we find ourselves, we are in a nation at war as of now. So the challenges are meeting the requirements in executing this war. We know how much that could be deep into our budget, more so when there are also certain sectors within the economy that also require huge sums of allocations. Talking of very important sectors like education and health. What are the things addressing the issues within the Armed Forces? What would be the greatest challenges for now? We are going to talk about issues of non-power. Since we are at war, we need to put a bit of strength now to ensure that we have enough men to execute the war. And also given our own peculiar situation in Nigeria, whereby besides the wars to be done in the North East, we also have all sorts of problems all over the country requiring the presence of police. I would not have enough policemen to police the entire nation. So the military has got to be drafted in, if that is done, it further depends on the need for manpower. Besides manpower, look at funding, there is a need for huge funding now to be diverted to the military to meet a lot of commitments here and there. You can't keep soldiers in the field without feeding them, and you feed them, I would say, beyond what they need, because a hungry man cannot really give you the best. We have logistics and equipment issues within the Armed Forces that must be addressed. Look at the Tokano Aircraft, but how much it costs us. And several other equipment, we are now talking about the need for drones. People like us are already screaming, why don't we have drones all over the entire place, given the huge cost of drones, so we have drones, when we address the issues of drones, when we address the issues of drones, we have taken a great deal of the logistics and equipment issues required in the field. Because with the absence of manpower, when you bring in certain equipment like the drones and so on, you'll be able to fill up the gap to a greater extent. If we are hesitant at recruiting, and I want to know why we are hesitant at recruiting in the unemployment situation in the country, that's why. But anyway, how about welfare and motivation? We could go on and on and on. The issues are just there. But with time, I believe we shall summon them. We shall summon them. We have already seen some rays of hope. I think we shall summon them. Thank you very much Colonel Hassan Standlabo. We'll come back to the issues around the wealth of the military in the Nigeria of today, but I'm sure you'll agree with me that the Nigerian Armed Forces of Nigeria, the AFN, is widely celebrated all over the world. With its involvement in peacekeeping in the United Nations, the economic community of West African states with ECOMOG and other West African interventions, even with the African Union, a very fantastic track record. But when we look at the performance of the Nigerian Armed Forces at home, some Nigerians have raised some concern about that performance. What would you say about that? The contrast between the performance and the conduct of soldiers on assignment abroad versus the conduct performance and results of the Nigerian Armed Forces with conflicts within its borders? You're taking me to an area I really don't like discussing because it's always making me want to do a comparison between leadership at a strategic level in my country and probably what we'll have outside coming in from international organizations like the UN. Indirectly, you're trying to tell me why is it that we perform so well outside and today we are not setting lapses and so on. Well, I will tell this introduction and I will explain. I was the first officer commanded from the military to have commanded the men in the Darfur. I was then a bloody major. I did that. My unit, my disposal, six Hilux patrol bands, all under my command. I repeat, all under my command. The point I'm trying to make here is this. When we want a job done, my unit was virtually involved in patrol. We keep the communities safe. And those who were under my command, at any moment of the day, I could hop into any of those things and move up and survey the entire community. Okay, we still have a conversation. Yes, are you there? We're trying to reconnect with him, but it's quite interesting. Of course, the fact that the Nigerian Armed Forces is being celebrated by Nigerians. I saw the post on social media. Very interesting, different designs. Almost every major corporate organization put a good word out there for the Armed Forces. For me, I think that the unit is a time where we should pay attention to the struggles and the challenges of the Armed Forces as it were. Of course, we respect that they're supposed to discharge their duties. But I'm hoping that we're able to connect with him. Then we'll probably get an answer, share his thoughts on that. So we're here of cases where these heroes that have actually fallen left families and have children and all of that. How far have we cared and catered for their needs? And you have a time where some persons are saying, I mean, you have these widows crying out, talking about not taking care of life insurance and what have you. But we do have Cornel Hassan back on the line. Can you hear us? Cornel Hassan, Stan Lambo, can you hear us? Just like me. I'm not loud enough. Okay. We're working on that and I'm sure that we'll have very strong audio. But the question here now is there's been an outcry by families of fallen heroes that they have been neglected by the Nigerian government and some of them are talking about life insurance, no payment and they're unable to take care of their kids. Is this the reality of, you know, families of fallen heroes? Well, I want to believe that I talk to you very well. There are lots of some issues with the veteran community that needs to be addressed. And that's why some of us are proud as well as we have come to see as the annual Ritual of Generic Exchange. Okay. Being more of a city. Can we just concentrate in addressing the problems of this veteran? What sort of problems exist as we speak right now the veteran community in Nigeria is being called thirty-four months of the minimum wage area. Twenty-four months. That's two good days. That was fighting at the December last week. We're already a question for everybody. There's problems to be addressed. Look at the medical issues of the veteran. How come a veteran in Nigeria does not have 100% medical overview? When we are talking about people in Nigeria who are within the age of sixty or seventy and above, the birth of the issues they have medical issues were derived from oppression while in the military. Why are we now abandoning and neglecting them? Only to say more. It's the birth of this. We just have to address this issue. And make this room happy. Do I start recording the road again? How much time do we take in the program? There is this analysis called the Community Development Analysis. What is made to take care of the veteran when they retire? This analysis takes care. It is made to divide them from faring out actions that are to be criminalized in Nigeria's case. The state rate of this allowance is still at issue today. These are monies that our allowance that are paid in several other civilized countries. It has gotten to a lot of where we are. All sorts of drama is going on. Rather than saying this, we have to address this money. We have to address this. There are all sorts of things. Sorry to interrupt you, but where is the issue coming from with all these monies being owed for so many months to the families of retired heroes and soldiers? Is it from within the military establishment or is it from the executive arm of government? All of them. The government or the administration in power is complicit. Simple. All of them. Whether it is the military hierarchy, whether it is the minister of finance, whether it is the president, somebody who is able to say or not say or look if the ministry are addressing the problem. The military administration brought it here It has its own problem. The ministry of defense is there. It has its own problem. The ministry of finance is there. It has its own problem. The ministry of defense is there. It has its own problem. It is the government. Also, can somebody just put his upon himself to address this issue and stop adoraging the majority of slave veterans on the streets. The streets are packed. They have to run around as soon as they participate so that they do not embarrass the generation. It's all over now. Everybody has stepped up. It should be addressed. So are you saying that the ceremony, the events every 15th of January is just a ceremony and it doesn't really translate to development under any impact on the lives of the people who still live and those Okay, so my question is are you saying that the event every 15th of January the remembrance day as we know it's an event that has happened every other time and of course on the 15th Nigeria celebrated across the entire country. Are you saying that it's just a ceremony and that there's no impact on the community, the veteran community that you have mentioned my sister, the average specter are in Nigeria today. It's not a happy man with the Nigerian state. All these generations it's over taking to them because as far as they are concerned or as far as we are concerned that money would stand there. It's union to stand in all those cases and it would have run a long way in addressing some of these problems it would have run a long way in addressing some of these problems The whole ceremony is to a good number of us because we are not doing the right thing and that is why even the day as presented by the spirit together are refusing to cry because they know you are not doing the right thing I don't know that's of the case Okay, Retired Colonel Hassan Stan Lambo that's that's quite a statement to say didn't even watch it on television it shows how you and possibly other retired and soldiers and members of the armed forces feel about what's happening and I do hope that the message is being passed on to your authorities that they need to take the welfare of our retired soldiers and the families of those who are fallen heroes very seriously because you're saying it's not just about the 15th of January alone and some corporate organizations yeah yes sir please go the minister of health is the doctor the level minister who we've had involvement of corporate Nigeria recently of course one airline and some other companies have come out to offer free services or discounted services to to the rank and file members of the armed forces and what rule can the private sector and corporate Nigeria play as far as the army veterans are concerned to also help some of these things that you're completing about we could have a structure on ground or a platform on ground which allows for the public to make the mention of where you are okay which could be managed not by government official government official to bring it up not by government official not by government official short money to be managed commonly by a team from veterans themselves and first of the donors now for the first money taken as the department to be made either the way of short loans to enable veterans to be able to have a look of a two or three bedroom the the the fund itself the stuff that it is more of a philanthropic platform so in the course of training we should be very very like every three percent of the month salary per month of budget the amount is going very very however the money at the end of the day should be why so that is in a philanthropic you know a source that comes in to be able to such a platform to be created certainly i'm not so excited to be put like a chief executive officer of a peace airline that has just come up with some a form of recognition to the veterans community there is not a voting committee in the peace airline with a lot of veterans to vote for and so on this is what we find at vote we could also let me say be a several shopping complex okay like shop price and so on okay guys i had a better time when you shop you enjoy a reasonable amount provided you're able to put an identity card okay this is common in you right and i'm not so proud of this all right very interesting having you on the breakfast right here on plus tv africa a retired connell hasen stand number it's been a pleasure having you and we do hope that the things improve and change and we'll continue to have this conversation to pass a message on to those in authority that are soldiers are veterans are very important to us thank you very much sir all right then that's the much sure that we can take at this point in time the size of the short spin and like you know very interesting conversation absolutely i would definitely return with the breakfast tomorrow time again is seven o'clock but if you missed out on any part of the conversation it's all right to follow us on facebook twitter and instagram what plus tv africa and do subscribe to our youtube channel plus tv africa lifestyle i am messy but we do have a great day ahead it's a great doing this with you merci for the first time my name is kofi bartels and we'll be back tomorrow