Angry Military Veterans lay siege to Pension board over alleged Underpayment – Daily Trust

‎Military veterans have protested over alleged underpayment of their pensions, demanding an pressing recalculation of their entitlements according to accepted changes to the salaries of serving navy personnel.
‎
‎The protesters, led by Lt. Col. Innocent Azubuike, coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, stormed the Military Pensions Board in Abuja, on Tuesday morning.

They accused the board of utilizing a pension computation components that allegedly diminished the share will increase accepted for retired personnel.
‎
‎Speaking in the course of the protest on Tuesday, Azubuike stated the accepted changes supplied for an 80 per cent enhance for personnel from the rank of personal to employees sergeant, 50 per cent for warrant officers to colonels, and 30 per cent for brigadier generals and better ranks.
‎
‎He alleged that the board failed to apply the accepted percentages immediately to the pensions veterans had been already receiving, as a substitute utilizing a calculation technique that diminished their entitlements.
‎
‎“We have gotten presidential approval for the consequential allowance on the percentages allotted to various rank categories,” he stated.
‎
‎“Now, in paying us this consequential adjustment, Pension Board did not pay this very approved percentage.”
‎
‎Azubuike stated the veterans had earlier approached the Ministry of Defence in August to demand the inclusion of retired personnel within the salary-related changes after discovering that they’d initially been excluded.
‎
‎According to him, the ministry acknowledged the omission and subsequently included them within the accepted changes.
‎
‎However, he accused the Military Pensions Board of introducing a calculation technique that allegedly undermined the accepted will increase, even though the pension charges of retirees had already been decided by their ranks and years of service at retirement.
‎
‎He argued that the accepted proportion ought to apply to the pension every retiree was receiving earlier than the adjustment, relatively than being subjected to one other calculation primarily based on the situations underneath which the person retired.
‎
‎“Even though it’s short-changing the criteria, it’s short-changing military veterans, but that criteria wasn’t still followed,” he stated.

‎“We are about 100,000 military veterans,” he stated, including that he had information to help the allegations of discrepancies in pension funds.
‎
‎Another protester, Master Warrant Officer Duru Augustine, stated the alleged underpayment had left retired personnel feeling betrayed after years of service to the nation.
‎
‎“Honestly, honestly, it’s bad. Having in your own constituency, being treated like a slave,” Augustine stated.
‎
‎He maintained that the dispute involved the implementation of accepted pension changes, which he stated veterans had fought to safe after discovering that retired personnel had been initially excluded.
‎
‎Augustine recalled that the veterans protested on August 19, after which, in accordance to him, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, acknowledged their issues and supported their inclusion within the adjustment.
‎
‎He stated the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had additionally supplied a chart explaining the calculations, arguing that the board ought to implement the accepted percentages relatively than introduce a distinct technique.
‎
‎“It’s an insult to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It’s an insult to the capacity of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, for him to go back and do whatever he feels like doing,” he stated, referring to the alleged departure from the accepted adjustment framework.