Apparently aggrieved by a myriad of problems ranging from denial of certain accrued rights as retired Nigerian Armed Forces personnel, the Coalition of Concerned Veterans (CCV) has threatened to embark on a peaceful nationwide protest any time soon to force the authorities to hearken to their voice.
In a statement issued on Friday by CCV spokespersons; Dr. Roy Oamen Okhidievbie and Sedisyne Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, the Veterans said they did not have choice but to embark on the protest as efforts made over time to negotiate and deliberate on the infringement of their constitutional rights have failed. They have accused the country’s Minister of Defense as part of their problem.
According to them, “we have dialogued either in writing and/or retreats, to resolve amicably whilst the national economy has now been mushroomed into private gardens of a selected few.”
“Unfortunately, serving officers and men of the Armed Forces look on desolately to our condition as their final destination? How demotivating” they bemoaned.
The retired military men contended that “in the melee of the current political football games in Nigeria, everything that does not score political point is pushed aside, inclusive of our veterans plight. Unfortunately, daily, the decay and depreciation of our military superiority and capacity in capability keeps making a downward dive.”
“Moneys are being pumped into restructuring the military and equipping the troops all to no avail” they argued just as they asserted that “The decay and decadence have eroded confidence which invariably reflects in the combat weaknesses observed today.”
The planned nationwide protest therefore, becomes inevitable according to them even as they audaciously stated that “we have presence in the 36 states of the Federation. It will be massive and total.”
The intended mass protest will involve all ranks within the military ranging from the junior ranks to Generals and according to CCV spokespersons, “it will strategically produce an organized, responsible and effective peaceful protests that the country has never seen before. All government security agencies that will be dispatched to monitor this event must act with decorum and respect for us as the highest and most lethal component of our national security architecture.”
“We call on Nigerians to pray for us and provide water and snacks in every state of the federation you see our representatives for we do not know how many days we shall be on the street.”
They declared that “this injustice is the birth of the insecurity we see today.”
To avert the possible ugly side to the intended protest, “We once again implore the government to respect this, as an olive branch and respond with the only language necessary at this juncture which is bank alert for outstanding payments of our constitutional rights in backlogs plus the review and implementation of the Debarment Allowance to favor all.”
As part of their grievances, the CCV said “It is regrettable that things have to go the way they are headed already. Two letters to the Honorable Minister of Defense (HMOD) in a space of six weeks, yet no response.”
“We wish to ask, whose interest is the HMOD serving if he cannot dialogue with representatives of Veteran groups who are part of his primary constituency as the Minister of Defense?”
“Our membership cuts across the ranks which include his juniors, course mates and indeed his seniors. We, as representatives of these highly respected senior citizens are saying, this is unacceptable to us and we are going ahead to mobilize our members at both State levels and FCT for a sustained peaceful protest to press home our legitimate demand from government in the first week of August, 2020.”
“It is unfortunate that the HMOD, who incidentally is also one of us, is obviously working at a cross road and against the good intention of Mr. President.”
It is also regrettable that a simple administrative norm of responding to letters has been disregarded by the office of the HMOD, giving the impression that we mean little or nothing to him.”
They stated that “As responsible leaders, we have shown appreciable level of regard for the office of the HMOD, just so we do not wash our dirty linen in public and we expect same in return.”
“If the authorities have refused to dialogue with us in their offices, we shall meet on the street of Abuja and other State capitals and in the full glare of the International community.”
The Coalition members have threatened that “COVID or not, we are not afraid of death. We have been there before in the face of obvious threat to our lives. We are ready to once again to lay down our lives for others.”
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/defense-minister-under-attack-as-military-retirees-plan-nationwide-protest/
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