The various service commanders as well as well-wishers in Port Harcourt and environs have continued to visit Headquarters, 6 Division, Nigerian Army (NA), Port Harcourt Barracks to pay their last respect to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), late Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, who transited to glory on Tuesday, 5 November 2024. In their seperate condolence visits to the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, the service commanders and well-wishers expressed and penned down their heartfelt condolences over the unfortunate demise of the late COAS, whom they said dedicated his entire life to fatherland and humanity.
The commanders described the late COAS as a committed and unrepentant proponent of jointness, as encapsulated in his command philosophy. They also added in unison that posterity will be kind to him for the services he has rendered to Nigeria and humanity.
The demise of the late COAS has continued to reviberate with emotions across 6 Division with residents of the barracks community expressing grief over his demise. This situation saw eulogies penned down in honour of a personality, whom they believed has touched lives positively during his sojourn on earth.
Relatedly, solemn moments were also observed, with special prayers offered across all the worship centres in Port Harcourt Barracks, where officers, soldiers, their families and other well-wishers prayed for the reposed of the late COAS gentle soul. While at an combined interdenominational church service held in Protestant Church, the GOC, 6 Division, Major General Jamal Abdussalam eulogised the late COAS, whom he said was an exceptional leader that left indelible vacuum in the NA and the nation at large. The GOC who was represented by the Commander, 56 Signal Brigade, Brigadier General Olukorede Akande maintained that the late COAS would be remembered for the legacies he bequeathed in the NA and the nation at large. Similar special prayers were also offered at the Central Mosque, Port Harcourt Barracks for the repose of his gentle soul.
The late COAS has only recently visited 6 Division, NA where he commissioned several people-centered projects, legacies that speaks volume of his leadership style. The inhabitants of the Port Harcourt Barracks community will surely miss him for his uncommon commitment to the welfare of officers, soldiers and their families. This is evident in the number of projects he commissioned in the barracks as well as several beneficial welfare packages he initiated for officers, soldiers and their families.