Civil war veterans write Tinubu over exclusion from military pension

Ex-soldiers who fought on the federal government side during Nigeria’s civil war have petitioned President Bola Tinubu over the exclusion of some of them from the military pension, forty years after the end of the war.

The veterans who are of the 63NA in a letter signed by its national secretary, CPL Akewuyi Bayo, and the national coordinator, CPL Babawande Philip, which was made available to The Nation on Monday, November 13, said they have tried to present their grievances through different media but to no avail.

They said while ex-Biafran soldiers and policemen have been considered and enrolled as monthly pensioners by the federal government under the leadership of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, the federal troops were however left behind.

The letter read: “The Ministry of Establishment’s Circular Letter No 4 of 1977 which was published on 30” March 1977 titled ‘Review of the pension Scheme for the Public Services’.

“The said circular letter and its approval from 1^st April 1977. Paragraph B (v) provided that as of 1 April 1977, the annual pension payable to officers who retired from Public Service between 1 April 1974 when the existing regulation came into force on 31% March 1977 shall be at the reduced rates indicated in the Annex to the circular where such officers served for the period of 10 years or more but less than 15 years, they will be paid a pension at the rate of 30% terminal salary (40% in the case of the armed forces personnel). It was based on this circular letter No. 4 of 1977 that most of us voluntarily retired.

“Decree 102 of 1974 (which we somehow misinterpreted at the time it was promulgated) really disfavoured Ex-soldiers who served the country for 10 years and above but less than the 15 years required as of 1 April 1977.

“Meanwhile, ex-Biafran soldiers and policemen have been considered and in fact enrolled as monthly pensioners by the Federal Government under the leadership of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. We, the federal troops were however left behind.

“Our appeal was considered in November 2015 and we were directed to do a verification exercise by the Military Pensions Board. We were verified and certified as genuine pensioners, but surprisingly, till date, we have not received any pension.”

The veterans said even after several protests, which were published in national dailies since 2006 when they have been making a case for their inclusion in the military pension, the authorities have turned deaf ears to their plights.

They said: “Your Excellency sir, we are living in abject poverty, our daily sustenance has been at the mercy of the public, and our life is fast ebbing away.

“The future appears bleak and uncertain for us at our age, untold hardship toil on us because we do not have anything to fall back on or to hold onto.

“Sir, we heartily plead with you to please use your good office to ameliorate our plight by having us placed on the Monthly Pension Roll of retired Military personnel. We also solicit that such pension be paid to the Next of Kins of some of us who are deceased.”