…SEEKS INTERVENTION OF PRESIDENT TINUBU
By Okosun Dennis
As the Federal Government of Nigeria and the military authorities have refused to pay in full Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) to deserving Retired Military Personnel, they have resolved to carry out a peaceful protest in December 2023 in Abuja and other designated states.
As a result, they are calling on the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and compel the Ministry of Defence to authorize the payment of the balance at once since the Federal Government has approved N134.7 billion for the payment.
Among other demands, they are asking for a new and acceptable template to be used for payment of the SDA as used for their colleagues who retired after 2017, and making such disbursement is done once not in tranches as well as their pension disparity.
These were contained in a statement made available to our correspondent and signed by the Spokesperson, Coalition of Concerned Veterans (CCV/RNC), Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, on Saturday.
It would be recalled that the Manual of Financial Administration (MAFA) for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (2012), page 98, clearly stated that every member of the Armed Forces dead or alive is entitled to a Debarment allowance.
Since approval was given for the payment during the twilight of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the Ministry of Defence has embarked on sloppy, shoddy, and lopsided payment of the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) through the Military Pensions Board (MPB); a practice that has not gone down well with the veterans.
It was learnt that instead of making a disbursement to their various accounts at once, they resorted to paying it quarterly, which began in January 2023 to terminate in 2025.
They averred that as senior citizens who fought through the trenches, bushes, valleys, and rivers to keep Nigeria one, they deserve better treatment and care by the Federal Government and the military authorities. As such, they are asking for their outstanding allowances and pensions promptly.
Adding that they have not been properly cared for, and wondered how the Ministry of Defence would justify remembering their dead colleagues and their widows every year during Armed Forces Remembrance Day (AFRD).
They threatened that unless they get justice and have every kobo owed them paid, there will be no justification for the 2024 AFRD Celebration.
Reacting to the publication in the Punch newspaper that the planned protest is scheduled for 6th November 2023, Durowaiye-Herberts denied that such a date didn’t come from RNC/CCV hence it became imperative to set the record straight by announcing the December date for the protest and asked members of the public to disregard such publication.
The statement added, “As a follow-up to the announcement of the lifting of a ban on our peaceful protest, the CCV leadership wishes to reaffirm our resolve to mobilize and come out en-masse on a peaceful protest in December.
“This clarification has become necessary against the backdrop of Punch Newspaper publication which announced November 6th, 2023 as the due date for the forthcoming peaceful protest.”
However, according to Durowaiye-Herberts, CCV/RNC and other affiliate bodies are perfecting strategies for an impactful peaceful protest.
In addition, during the protest, it was learnt, that there would be a display of banners/placards with different inscriptions expressing their demands with the official hashtag: #let_military_veterans_breathe,” strategic enough to attract the attention of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
As the incubation period of the protest thickens, the spokesperson used the opportunity to call on every member of the Veterans Community, Senior colleagues, and all stakeholders to key in and join the protest as “We want justice, equity, and fairness.”
On the proposed establishment of an independent “Ministry of Veterans Affairs” (MoVA), Durowaiye-Herberts called on members of the parliament to see to the passage of the bill establishing the Veterans Federation of Nigeria (VFN), and by extension reminded them of the bill to establish an independent “Ministry of Veterans Affairs” (MoVA), which would go a long way in assuaging the plight of veterans.
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