The Federal Government has conferred national honours on serving personnel, veterans, and fallen officers of the Nigerian Army in recognition of their gallantry, sacrifice, leadership, innovation, and dedicated service to the nation.

The honours were presented at the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day Gala Night held on Tuesday at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele.

According to the statement, the late Brigadier General Musa Uba was posthumously awarded the Gallantry Award for his exceptional bravery and for leading troops from the front during counter-insurgency operations in Borno State.

Brigadier General Uba was killed in November 2025 when terrorists ambushed Nigerian Army troops along the Damboa Road axis near Wajiroko while they were conveying military equipment.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, received the Service and Sacrifice Award for his exemplary leadership and selfless service, particularly in counter-insurgency and internal security operations across multiple theatres.

Other recipients of the Service and Sacrifice Award included Major General Abdulsalami Enesi Abubakar, Theatre Commander of Operation HADIN KAI, and Major General Faruk Mijinyawa, former General Officer Commanding, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Lagos, in recognition of their outstanding operational leadership and dedication to duty.

Brigadier General Usman Ahmad was honoured with the Mission Success Award for his critical role in repelling repeated terrorist attacks and sustaining operational effectiveness under intense pressure.

In the innovation category, Colonel Ibrahim Mohammed Gero received an award for designing a redesigned ballistic gunboat deployed in support of Operation DELTA SAFE.

Posthumous honours were also awarded to the late Colonel B. Umaru, who received the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Excellence Award for his contributions to Operation HADIN KAI, and the late Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ebisingha Alari, who was honoured with the Fallen Heroes Award for his role in counter-terrorism operations in the North-East.

In the veterans’ category, a former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), was presented with the Legacy (Service and Sacrifice) Award in recognition of reforms implemented during his tenure from 2015 to 2021, as well as his subsequent diplomatic service as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin.

Speaking at the event, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, charged members of the Armed Forces to remain disciplined, loyal, and united, describing them as the guardians of Nigeria’s democracy.

The President reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the military in achieving lasting peace and announced the approval of two initiatives—the Thank-A-Soldier Electronic Wall and the My Nigerian Hero Campaign—to enable Nigerians to honour serving personnel and veterans.

The Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day is an annual event dedicated to honouring fallen heroes, recognising serving personnel, and celebrating veterans of the Nigerian Armed Forces.