15th of January every year is usually set
aside by the Nigerian Government and Authorities of the armed forces to
remember our fallen heroes.
These fallen heroes are said to be military
officers who laid down their lives for the unity of our beloved
country. They fought to thick and thin to ensure that Nigeria remain one
undivided country no matter what anybody or group of people think or
believe.
A lot laid down their lives to achieve this
purpose, others survive but are permanently maimed from Gun shots
injury while another set are alive and retired from active service.
In the entire categories above, one thing
is common in their fight “Nigeria Unity”. They are being remembered
today for these ultimate sacrifice especially those who lost their
lives.
Shortly before this year’s armed forces
remembrance day, President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja commissioned a
military cenotaph in memory of the nation’s fallen heroes from 2011 till
date.
The cenotaph has names of officers and men
who paid the supreme price in the course of various operations
especially the current war against insurgency in the north east.
In his address at the occasion, Jonathan
said this great monument is a clear testimony that government would
always remember those who served this country, especially the military
and the paramilitary officers that have to be awake for others to sleep.
“People may not know exactly what you are
passing through, they have different opinions but I believe that you are
doing the best under the circumstances that you are working.
“Government will continue to encourage you, by providing what is required”, the president assured.
One feature of the Armed Forces remembrance
day, year in year out is the different complaints and protests by the
military pensioners on how their welfare is never taken into
consideration despite assurances by Federal Government and the military
authorities to carter for them.
Few days before this year’s celebration,
some retired personnel of the Nigerian Military under the umbrella of
the Ex- Service Men Welfare Association threatened to embark on a
peaceful protest on the day set aside for the Armed Forces Remembrance
Day Celebration over non-payment of their pension arrears by the
government.
The leadership of the Association said in a
statement said that the peaceful protest was intended to call the
attention of the government and the public to the plight of the military
pensioners.
The statement signed by Col. PA Zubair,
Col. HI Ikoghode, MWOs U Samuel and A Agbas, added that the military
pensioners had been made to go through harrowing hardship because of the
failure of the government to fulfil promises made to them in relation
with the issue of the prompt payment of their pension allowances.
The ex-service men argued that it was wrong
on the part of the government to celebrate the fallen heroes while
their counterparts who are alive are left to starve.
“The members of the Ex-Service Men Welfare
Association hereby wish to request for your kind support to bring to the
notice of the general public of the plight of the Armed Forces
pensioners.
“The military pensioners have continued to
face untold hardship as a result of government refusal to pay our
outstanding pension arrears since July 2010 to date.
“However, we have been subjected to all
forms of deceit from the government and its various organs responsible
for the payment of the pension arrears in the annual budget that has not
seen the light of the day…
“It is the height of hypocrisy to vote huge
sums of money for the fallen heroes every year while the living ones
are forgotten and dying of hunger.
“The living heroes are ready to stage a
nationwide protest to show the world our plight. No going back on our
53.37% pension arrears based on the correct data.
“We have legally earned the money and refusing to pay us or tampering with it is totally unacceptable,” the statement read.
The Ex-servicemen had threatened to disrupt
the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebrations scheduled for Thursday,
over 30 months of unpaid pension arrears from the 2010 pension increment
on December 10, 2014.
The ex-servicemen are angry that the
Ministry of Finance opted, without consultations, to implement 33 per
cent increment for them while civilians and their counterparts had
received the allowances.
They added that ‘even the so called 53.37
per cent that was illegally being reduced to 33 percent was based on
wrong data,’ which could be corrected with the implementation of the
2007 pension review among others.
Why are the bodies responsible for
pensioners playing with fire at this critical period of this nation? Why
do we have to face pensioners protest every year and with same
complain?
If their complains are not true, why
haven’t the military authority or the Federal Government come out to
deny or defend these allegations?
A military source who spoke on condition of
anonymity said salaries of the armed forces are usually reviewed after
every five years. He said as the salaries of that of the serving men are
reviewed and effected it is expected that salaries of the retired men
are also reviewed and effected.
The source said every review and increment
is always effected on the salaries of serving military officers. How
come the 2010 review has been effected on serving officers and that of
retired officers, especially those who fought during the war are not
effected?
In 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan
approved a new salary scale and review of 53 per cent for the armed
forces. Soon, it will be another five years and a new salary structures
will be approved again. Is this government going to wait to accumulate
this 53 per cent then add the next new increment?
Federal Government and military authority
are truly joking with these retired men who are trained in the usage of
arms. This poses great danger to the nation
There are also serious fears that these
pensioners may attack the pension board since some of them assume that
their monies are being held by the board.
Is the Federal Government and military
authority going to wait until these men (pensioners) take up arms
against them before they respond to their needs? These are questions
seriously begging for answers.
Culled from peoples daily
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