Republic of Türkiye's founder Ataturk commemorated in Nigeria

At 9.05 a.m., siren wailed in Turkish Embassy in Abuja to mark exact moment of passing of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at age 57

By Tuba Ongun

ABUJA, Nigeria (AA) - The 85th anniversary of the passing of Türkiye's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was commemorated on Friday in Nigeria's capital Abuja.

The Turkish Embassy in Abuja held a ceremony to pay tribute to Ataturk with the attendance of Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria Hidayet Bayraktar, embassy staff, and Turkish diplomats.

The attendees observed a minute of silence at 9.05 a.m. local time (0805GMT) to mark the exact moment of Ataturk’s death at the age of 57 and sang the Turkish national anthem.

Ataturk was born in 1881 in Thessaloniki, in what was then the Ottoman Empire. He made his mark in the military in 1915 when he led forces to repel the allied invasion in Canakkale, known in the West as the Dardanelles.

The War of Turkish Independence officially began on May 19, 1919. Landmark battlefield victories led to Turkish independence, culminating in the founding of the Republic of Türkiye on Oct. 29, 1923, 100 years ago this year.

Ataturk served as the republic’s first president until Nov. 10, 1938, when he passed away in Istanbul at age 57 due to cirrhosis.

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