From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said all was set for the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, to Nigeria, for a three-day private visit.
The visit, which is on the invitation of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to Prince Harry, would enable him visit the wounded soldiers.
Chairman, Organising Committee of the visit, who is also the Director of Sports at the DHQ, Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, made this known at a media briefing on activities lined up for the visit in Abuja.
Marquis, while noting that Prince Harry, who founded the Invictus Game, would alongside his wife visit wounded soldiers at the Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna on Saturday, said the Duke of Sussex would also interact with the wounded soldiers and their families in Abuja, as well as witness a novelty volleyball match during the visit.
He said the visit would go a long way to helping the wounded soldiers in their recovery.
Aside from visiting the wounded soldiers, Marquis said they would also visit Lagos on Sunday, where they are supporting an NGO, before departing Nigeria on Monday.
Speaking on the importance of the visit, he said: “We realised that 80 percent of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme and are getting better.
“Their outlook to life is positive because when you experience a permanent disability, it affects your mental health, and also your outlook to life.
He said: “The recovery programme has given them an opportunity to improve their personal self-esteem, mental health, and emotional intelligence.
“So, this engagement with invictus is giving us the opportunity for a recovery for our soldiers,’’ he said.
Marquis said the visit gave credence to the fact that the Nigerian Armed Forces had been accepted as a member of the invictus community.
Marquis, while noting that Nigeria is also looking forward to hosting an invictus game, hence the reason behind the visit, said the Nigerian armed forces had concluded plans to build a state-of-the-art structure for the management of post-traumatic stress syndrome for the wounded and injured soldiers due to engagement in the counter-insurgency operation.
“They will be proceeding to Kaduna to visit the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, where our wounded and injured soldiers are kept for their medical recovery.
“On Saturday, we will have something like an exhibition of novelty match, where the CDS team and the Duke team will be having a volleyball match at the Armed Forces Officers’ Mess.
“This is just to engage with the wounded and the injured soldiers. It’s a sitting volleyball match coming in the morning.