Baring any last minutes change of mind or conciliatory efforts by the Federal Government and military authorities, the aggrieved retired military personnel have concluded plans to disrupt the January 15, 2015 Armed Forces Remembrance Day (AFRDC) peaceful protest over pension arrears.
The retired servicemen under the umbrella of the Ex-Service Men Welfare Association in statement signed yesterday by Col. PA Zubair, Col. HI Ikoghode, MWOs U Samuel and A Agbas, said the protest is over non-payment of their pension arrears by the Federal Government.
The latest action is coming after the December 15, 2014 deadline, where they warned that unless the Federal Government commences full payment of the 53.37 percent pension increase approved for the ex-service men in 2010, next year’s AFRDC would be meaningless.
According to the Association, the protest will be a symbolic call on the government and the public to the plight of the military pensioners.
Their grouse was hinged on the decision of government through the Military Pensions Board (MPB) to adopt a partial implementation of 33 percent, which in itself is far below the originally approved 53 percent, which is already being implemented for the serving military personnel.
Alternatively, the Association suggested, the Federal Government should pay the outstanding 30months from the 33 percent arrears, in the case there is no available fund to pay the 53 percent with the 20 percent balance shifted to a more convenient time.
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The retired personnel explained in the statement, that “military pensioners had been made to go through harrowing hardship because of the failure of the government to fulfill promises made to us in relation with the issue of the prompt payment of our pension allowances”.
According to them, the massive protest in Abuja, aims to “draw the attention of the President over the persistent refusal of the Federal Ministry of Finance to pay us 38 months of outstanding arrears from the 2010 pension increment.
“The fact is that the Federal Government is owing our members a total of 38 months of the 53 percent pension increment of 2010 and over 30 months of the 33 percent but have done little or nothing in that regard”.
They lamented that despite all the promises of the Federal Government to the contrary, they have failed woefully on the welfare of ex-servicemen, which negates the spirit of the AFRD that claims “to be celebrating the fallen heroes”.
The association argued that celebrating the fallen heroes would be meaningless in a situation where the living ones are left to starve.
Part of the statement read: “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.
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“We have legally earned the money and refusing to pay us or tampering with it is totally unacceptable”.
It could be recalled that the ex-servicemen had issued the December 15, 2014 deadline “to pay all the arrears of the 33 percent pension increment of 2010 or face a planned protest involving all ex-servicemen in the country at the National Cenotaph, Abuja, venue of the next AFRDC January next year.
“What we are demanding is that government should pay us atleast the arrears for the 33 percent by December 15, or we shall mobilise all our men to stop the next AFRDC because it is nothing but hypocrisy to celebrate the dead and leave the living to suffer. We shall go out there so that they can shoot us and get more dead heroes to celebrate”.
They had noted: “Our association held a protest on the issue on November 5, 2015, and we held a meeting with the DG Budget Office on November 19, but could not reach an agreement and we were asked to come up with a six-man team for the negotiation.
“We were scheduled to meet with the Director General Budget Office on this issue on December 3, 2015, but the Finance Ministry made moves to put off the meeting even though we decided to go there with the Chairman of the MPB and his men”.
Responding to the planned action of the retired personnel, the Public Relations Officer, MPB, Sqdr Ldr. Mathew Tsekaa explained that protest and initial ultimatum was directed to the Federal Government and not MPB.
According to Tsekaa, its only the Federal Government that can approve the funds and make it available before they can pay, adding that MPB is only making use of the available funds.
“The former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musuliu Obanikoro made it clear during his official visit to the Pensions Board in August 2014 that Govt was aware of the 20 per cent balance and it will be paid.
“The Board is still going on with relevant liaison with appropriate governmental agencies on the matter to ensure this payment”, he said.
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Also speaking another personnel within the MPB said: “Really, what was approved for the ex-servicemen was 53 percent pension increment in 2010 but the Ministry of Finance decided that there was no funds to implement it so they opted to reduce it without due consideration to 33 percent.
“Another thing is that the government has just paid some months leaving over 30 months of even the 33 percent citing fall in the price of oil. So, if there is a fall in the price of oil in the international market, does it shows that its the pensioners that you suffer for it”.
The 2015 ARDC will climax on Thursday, January 15 with laying of Wreath at the National Remembrance Arcade by President Goodluck Jonathan.
