Security agencies have beefed up
security across the 36 states of the federation as Nigeria prepares to
celebrate its 53rd Independence anniversary on Tuesday.
Although President Goodluck
Jonathan would celebrate the Independence anniversary inside Aso Rock, a police
helicopter was seen carrying out aerial patrol of Abuja on Friday as part of
security measures.
Also police commands across the
country have mapped out various security measures to forestall violence
during the celebration by paying special attention to churches, open fields and
stadia.
A few days ago, Boko Haram leader,
Abu Shekau, resurfaced in a new video weeks after the military reportedly
killed him.
Shekau, in the video, threatened that
more attacks would occur.gathered that the Independence celebration event
scheduled for Aso Rock would be strictly military.
The military event that will hold at
the forecourt of the villa will be the commemorative handing and taking over by
the presidential guards.
The President is also expected to
sign the anniversary register, cut the anniversary cake and perform the
traditional release of pigeons that signifies peace.
On Friday, men of the Presidential
Brigade of Guards were seen rehearsing at the venue of the event.
They were joined by other security
operatives that would be on duty on Tuesday as well as officials of the
Protocol Unit of the State House.
Some officials of the Protocol Unit
were also sighted dispatching invitation letters to dignitaries that are
expected at the event.
Those expected include the leadership
of the National Assembly and the judiciary, former heads of governments,
members of the Federal Executive Council as well as members of the diplomatic
corps, among others.
Workers of the construction company,
Julius Berger, who are handling the villa’s maintenance, were also seen on
Friday re-painting the walls of the forecourt.
A twin bomb blast had on October 1,
2010 rocked the neighbourhood of the Eagle Square, Abuja, venue of the nation’s
50th Independence anniversary celebration. The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility for the blast.
Although many believed that the
government’s decision to hold the 2011 event and subsequent ones inside
the villa was a way of avoiding the embarrassment another bomb blast might
cause the nation, the government said the decision had nothing to do with that.
Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran
Maku, had attributed the low-key nature of the anniversary to the fact that
Nigeria had had cause to hold two huge national events — the 50th Independence
anniversary in 2010 and the May 29, 2011 presidential inauguration that
attracted world leaders.
President Goodluck Jonathan had also
said the nation’s independence celebration would continue to be low-key until
2014 when the 100 years of the country’s amalgamation would be celebrated
elaborately.
The one-year long activities
earmarked for the centenary celebration which started this year would be
rounded off in January 2014.
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Politics