The late Ekemughan was said to have died following injuries he sustained from an explosion while in active service at the NAF Base in Port Harcourt in December 2023.
The governor, who presented a cheque of N20 million to the late Ekemughan’s widow, said the gesture is an endowment, which is part of his avowed commitment to the security agencies in the state.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, the governor acknowledged that although no amount will be enough to equate human life, the gesture was aimed at assuring the bereaved family that their loved one did not die in vain while in service to the nation and humanity.
This was contained in a statement issued by Juliana Masi, Head of Press Unit, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, and sent to newsmen on Monday night.
Addressing the widow, Mrs Bobra Ekemughan, the governor admonished her to keep her faith in God and be dedicated to the training of her children to become worthy citizens of Nigeria.
Fubara stated, “We are here to let you know that we share in this sad process with you. You have to be strong and accept the reality of life as a leader to your children now because God expects you to take up that responsibility.
“Rivers State Government appreciates the services of your husband. Keeping your faith in God, respect to your husband and responsibility to training your children to become worthy citizens of Nigeria should guide your conduct.”
The Commander 115 Special Operations Group, Nigeria Air Force Base, Port Harcourt, Air Commodore A. H. Idris, revealed that the officer died from injuries sustained from a secondary explosion while in active service within the base in December 2023.
Meanwhile, the governor has confirmed the import of skill to self-sustenance and economic boost while declaring open a 3-day skill acquisition training for military veterans in the South-South geopolitical zone.
The programme, organised by the Defence Headquarters, Veteran Affairs Division, with the theme, ‘‘Empowering Military Veterans through Skills Acquisition for Capacity Building and Sustainability’, is focused on training veterans from the South-South States.
The training will take place from February 12–14, 2024, in Port Harcourt.
The governor acknowledged that the Rivers State Government is willing to support the Legion, which carries out substantial initiatives that positively impact its members.
“Our wishes are to support a legion that carries out ventures that are concrete, credible, and tangible like this. When the government sees projects, she naturally wants to support them better.
“This is the avenue to practically teach you how to achieve self-sustenance. I thank the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for bringing a new angle of capacity building of veterans because every military officer will someday retire,” he said.
The event had in attendance the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. C. G. Musa, represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Maj. Gen. Jamil Abdussalam and the Director, Veteran Affairs, Army Headquarters, Maj. Gen. D. I. Salu.
Skills in poultry, fish, snail farming, animal husbandry, financial literacy, and record keeping amongst others will be imparted to the veterans
