A military sociologist, Dr. Fisayo Ajala, has urged the Federal Government to declare January 15, Nigeria’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, a national public holiday.
He warned that the country risks trivialising the sacrifices of its fallen heroes by treating the day as a routine working day.
Ajala said the continued confinement of Armed Forces Remembrance Day (AFRD) to military barracks and official ceremonies has weakened its national impact and denied citizens the opportunity to fully reflect on the human cost of war and insecurity.
“Beyond wreath-laying and parades, the day does not speak powerfully to the average Nigerian,” he said.
“When a nation does not pause to remember its fallen defenders, it slowly erodes the value it places on sacrifice, service and national unity.”
Observed annually on January 15, AFRD honours Nigerian soldiers who paid the supreme price in defence of the country and recognises serving personnel and veterans who operate under harsh climatic, psychological and physical conditions.
The date also marks the formal end of the Nigerian Civil War following the surrender of the secessionist Republic of Biafra on January 15, 1970.
Ajala argued that declaring the day a public holiday would elevate it from a symbolic military ritual to a powerful national moment of remembrance, similar to Independence Day celebrations.
“Nigeria is battling insecurity, mistrust and social fragmentation,” he said. “A national day of remembrance would remind us that, despite our differences, there are men and women who stand between the nation and chaos.”
He stressed that Nigeria’s low-intensity conflicts have affected entire communities, not just soldiers, making civilian participation in remembrance both necessary and overdue.
“This is not only about the military. Civilians live with the consequences of conflict, displacement, trauma and loss. Armed Forces Remembrance Day should reflect that shared reality,” Ajala said.
According to him, a public holiday would also help repair strained civil–military relations shaped by memories of military rule and allegations of human rights abuses.
“Honouring sacrifice does not excuse wrongdoing,” he noted. “But remembrance creates space for accountability, healing and a more honest relationship between the military and the people it is sworn to protect.”
Ajala said broader national observance would shine a long-overdue spotlight on military families, widows of fallen heroes, wounded soldiers, veterans living with combat trauma, and children who grow up bearing the silent cost of service.
“Too many veterans return home to neglect, unemployment and psychological scars,” he said. “A public holiday would humanise the soldier beyond the uniform and force national attention on their welfare.”
He added that the day could become a platform for policy debates, fundraising and structured support for veterans, in line with practices in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Ghana, where remembrance days are nationally observed.
Ajala also cited recent civil–military engagement initiatives as proof that public interaction builds trust.
He pointed to medical outreaches, road construction and education support by the Nigerian Army, as well as open-day programmes such as the Nigerian Air Force’s “Come See Your Air Force” and Nigerian Navy ship tours, which attracted large civilian participation and rekindled national pride.
“When the military opens its doors, Nigerians respond,” he said. “A public holiday would institutionalise that connection.”
He insisted that Armed Forces Remembrance Day deserves to move beyond hashtags and ceremonial speeches into schools, workplaces, religious centres and public life across the country.
“January 15 should be a day when the nation stops, remembers and reflects,” Ajala said.
“Declaring it a public holiday would be a powerful statement that Nigeria truly honours those who gave everything to defend its sovereignty.”
Ajala holds a PhD in Sociology from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath, England. His research focuses on military sociology, conflict, peace and security, with published works in several international academic and public policy platforms.
