…GIVES 31 DECEMBER DEADLINE
By Okosun Dennis
After concerted efforts and meetings with the Ministers of Defence and Finance counterparts and their representatives, military veterans are set to embark on a protest over failure to pay their Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The protest is a result of failed attempts to persuade the two ministries to see reasons to pay them the approved allowance after the President had in November announced the approval of N136 billion for the payment.
According to a statement on the REMENAF Social Media platform by the Spokesperson and Secretary, Coalition of Concerned Veterans (CCV), Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts said that the protest will hold as planned after the deadline of December 31, 2022.
He explained that the protest shouldn’t have been necessary if both ministries pay the allowance as approved adding that they (ministries) should be held liable and accountable for any embarrassment caused to the Government of the Federation and/or the Presidency.
“The Veteran community remains very satisfied that over time, they have exercised extreme maturity, patience, tolerance, and understanding since the agitation for the SDA started following our exclusion from earlier and ongoing payments since 2019.
“Moreso, the Community has never ceased to be grateful and appreciative of the President’s magnanimity towards our welfare even as we still appeal to both ministries to complement President’s compassion.
Against speculation and permutation that the allowance might be paid before January 15, 2023, the coalition of veterans have expressed fears that it might be a hoax after all as they have had several failed promises in the past.
Moreover, the veterans frowned at staggered payments in tranches being proposed by the two ministries emphasizing that paying in tranches is “unacceptable”.
“SDA is a “Word of Honor,” an assurance that debars the veteran from deploying his acquired military skills against the state.”
Therefore, Durowaiye-Herberts added that paying the SDA in trickles makes any meaningful and sustainable investment impossible, and morally unjustifiable.
“Severance allowances are not paid to politicians in tranches. Retiring military personnel right now are not also paid SDA in meaningless tranches either. So, why trivialise the payment to the old veterans?
As a result, they have set a deadline of today, December 31, 2022, to pay as the promise to delay payment on or before January 15, 2023, are kettle of lies as they are only looking for favourable avenues to hide their deceit not to pay, adding that they have done that a countless number of times without fulfilling their obligation towards the veterans.
“Stop the lies, the deceits, perfidiousness, wickedness, and gimmicks! No more meetings, no more letters! We only wait for both Ministries to do the needful. We will believe them when we receive alerts before December 31, 2022, as earlier promised.
In what they considered as “cunning efforts by the Ministers of Defence and Finance to scuttle veterans’ plan to hold Armed Forces Remembrance 2023, CCV added that both MoF and MoD withholding the payment of our SDA is just one more move in a sequence of serial deceits and brinksmanship that have been perfected to delay payment of the SDA to veterans.
“Going by precursors of failed hopes and promises, it is not out of place to suspect another sale of dummies and snippets designed to keep us at bay from using the occasion of the 2023 AFRD to announce to Nigerians and the world at large how unfairly some senior officers of the State have been treating us despite the dedication and benevolence of the President, Muhammadu Buhari to the plight of Veterans. “This is the same gimmick they have successfully used in previous times, which is the reason the SDA matter has lingered until now because we believed them and showed maturity and understanding.
“Telling us now that the SDA payment has just been prioritized for release of funds and thus would be paid before 15 January 2023 can only be taken with a pinch of salt,” Durowaiye-Herberts reiterated.
However, the Manual of Financial Administration for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (2012) clearly stated that every member of the Armed Forces dead or alive is entitled to a Debarment allowance. It was unambiguous.
According to page 98 of the manual stated under the sub-heading: Security Debarment Allowances explicitly stated that every retired military man living or dead is entitled to the allowance. “Security Debarment Allowance is an allowance payable by each service to all personnel on retirement from service or death. The essence of this allowance is to debar personnel from employing skills acquired in service against the state after retirement. The amount payable is 10% of annual salary at the time of retirement multiplied by the total number of years of service.”
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/again-military-veterans-set-to-protest-over-non-payment-of-sda/
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