Ministers who did not wear the emblem of the 2013 Armed Forces Remembrance Day were on Wednesday denied entry into the venue for the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja by security officials.
The affected ministers were told that the directive came from President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Minister of State, Defence, Olusola Obada, saved the situation when she arrived with more emblems for the ministers.
Some of them who managed to enter the venue without emblems were seen quickly fixing the ones provided by Obada to their dresses before the President entered the hall.
Jonathan who recently inaugurated the emblem at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, called on all Nigerians to proudly wear it.
According to him, wearing the emblem is a good way to appreciate the sacrifice the fallen and living heroes had made towards national development.
However, the meeting was dedicated to the victims of the Saturday’s helicopter crash in Bayelsa State. Jonathan ordered that ministers must wear their emblems for one month.
The President said, “Ministers are hereby directed to wear the Armed Forces Remembrance emblem for one month. We shall wear it up until January 15, 2013 when activities for the remembrance would have been concluded.”
“If you do not wear it to your offices, just make sure you keep money inside your bag to buy another one.”