By Linus Aleke
The Military Pensions Board has perched under the guise of the Pension Act and Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for the Armed Forces of Nigeria to deride Nigerian civil war veterans, insisting that they are not qualified for a military pension.

This is even as another veteran group under the aegis of First Intake Able Voluntary Retired or Discharged Ten or More Years in Military Service, also cried out that they were being excluded from pension payment by the Military Pensions Board, and efforts to get them included had been unsuccessful.

Civil war veterans are those who sacrificed every comfort and placed their lives on the line to defend the sovereignty of Nigeria and ensure that the Biafran troops did not have their way in attempting to divide the country.

The veterans who fought on the side of the Nigerian government during the civil war are said, not to be entitled to monthly military pensions.

The veterans, recently accused the Federal Government of not paying their entitlements since they left the military over 43 years ago.

However, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Military Pension Board, Flight Lieutenant Olayinka Lawal, in a chat with an online medium said the retired soldiers did not serve up to the 15 years stipulated by the Pensions Act and the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for the Armed Forces of Nigeria to qualify for what they were demanding.

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Flight Lieutenant Olayinka mockingly explained, “The Military Pensions Board seeks to use this medium to respond and correct the allegation by a group called First Intake Able Voluntary Retired or Discharged Ten or More Years Military Service.

The group claimed that the board has failed to include them on the pension payroll since they were discharged from the Armed Forces of Nigeria 44 years ago. This is outright misinformation and should be disregarded by the public. The board wishes to state clearly that its activities are regulated by the Pension Act and the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for the Armed Forces of Nigeria and that the board will not act contrary to the provisions of these statutes”.

Puting the final nail on the coffin of the demand of the veterans, the PRO further explained that, “For the avoidance of doubt, it is important to state that some members of this group had complained to the Military Pensions Board in the past and the board made it clear to them that they are not entitled to the payment of monthly pensions because they did not serve up to the required 15 years as stipulated by the Pension Act at the time of their retirement.

Investigations carried out at the board revealed that the majority of the members of this group were retired from the AFN between June 1, 1977, and May 31, 1992. During this period, to qualify for payment of gratuity, a retiree must serve the military for a minimum period of 10 years and must serve for a period not less than 15 years to qualify for payment of monthly pensions”.

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Olayinka revealed that one of the leaders of the group, Sergeant Kasali Busari, was awarded additional service years for participating in the war, but could still not meet the stipulated years to qualify for monthly pension payment.

He noted, “A case in point is that of the leader of the group, 63NA/21654 ex-Sergeant Kasali Busari, who was recruited into the Nigerian Army on July 23, 1967, and retired on May 21, 1978, after serving for 10 years and 303 days. He was awarded an additional service period of two years and 177 days as bonus for partaking in the Nigerian Civil War. Consequently, his total service years amounted to 13 years, 215 days. This still falls short of the required 15 years stipulated in the Pension Act to qualify for payment of monthly pensions at that time, but he was qualified for gratuity and was paid accordingly”.

The MPB appreciated the media for approaching the board for clarification on the matter.

Another veteran group, under the aegis of the First Intake Able Voluntary Retired or Discharged Ten or More Years in Military Service, also said they were being excluded from pension payment by the Military Pensions Board, and efforts to get them included had been unsuccessful.

The leader of group, Babawande Philips, vowed to embark on a nationwide protest to press home their demands.