Ex-Servicemen Decry Unpaid Benefits Since 2010

                     

When will the pathetic issue of unpaid benefits of public pensioners end in Nigeria.

From civil servants, Para-military to ex-servicemen, the sad tale of unpaid benefits is the same.

The other day, it was retired Nigeria Postal Service, NIPOST, workers, yesterday, it was retired senior civil servants and today it is retired military pensioners protesting among others, against the non-payment and non-harmonisation of their pension arrears since 2010.

September 10 protest by the ex-servicemen was visible mainly in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and Benin city, the capital of Edo state.

The Abuja protest, it attracted retired military personnel from different parts of the country and they were marching to the Presidential Villa to register their grievance before they were stopped by security operatives at the villa junction by the Federal Secretariat.

The ex-servicemen tied black bands on their left arms, saying it was to mourn their fallen colleagues, who paid the supreme price.

The pensioners had protested against the non-payment of the arrears in August. Chairman of Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association, Retired Warrant Officer Adona Abbas, said the protest was over unpaid balance of 53 per cent approved for retired military pensioners since 2010. Abbas lamented that 33 per cent of the 53 per cent was paid in August 2013, leaving a balance of 20 per cent.

He said the leadership of the National Assembly Committees on Defence had promised the money would be paid in August 2014 when they protested early on August 6, saying “We have not been paid hence we have come to protest because our members are dying, we have become beggars in this country, the country we fought to unite.

Why should we become beggars? Our children cannot go to school. People are enjoying. If we had not fought to unite the country, these people cannot enjoy what they are enjoying now.”

Chief of Staff to the President, retired Brig-Gen Oladehinde Arogbofa, and Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, met with the representatives of the protesting pensioners.

Speaking after the meeting, Obanikoro assured that the grievances of the pensioners were being addressed, adding that government appreciated what they were going through.

Spokesman for the pensioners retired Lt.-Col. Innocent Nas, said they took the promise made the chief of staff to the president, and the Minister of State for Defence, seriously. He however, threatened that they would resume the protest by on October 1, if government reneged on its promise to pay them.

Threaten ‘guerilla warfare’

The ancient City of Benin, Edo State capital, the aggrieved ex-servicemen threatened guerrilla warfare if their demands were not met.

The protest, led by the National Secretary of Association of Military Pensioners, AMP, Patrick Okpaiyo, lamented that after they fought for the survival and unity of the country, they were neglected by successive governments, warning that if the implementation of the consolidated military salary for the ex-servicemen was not paid soon, they would resort to unconventional means to fight for their benefits.

The retired military personnel said: “We are here to call the attention of the Federal Government to our plight.

We have been deprived of our rights, we fought the civil war at our youthful age but today, this administration has forgotten us, our people are dying, so we have been pushed to the wall.

In 2010, we were given 53 per cent of pension increment and it was not until we protested last year in Abuja that we were given the salary and the arrears have not been paid till date and this year, we are sure that the arrears is budgeted for but we have not been paid and the year is running out.

We need the money except they want us to go to the bush and begin a guerrilla war but we believe in the Nigeria project but if they push us to the wall, we may have to do that.”