By joshua TO:
His Excellency, The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
AND
The Chairman, Military Pensions Board
SUBJECT: DEMAND FOR TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE APPROVED PENSION INCREASE FOR RETIRED MILITARY VETERANS
Your Excellency,
I write as one of the concerned retired military veterans, and as a beneficiary of the Nigerian Armed Forces pension system, with profound respect for the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief, but equally with a deep sense of responsibility to speak on an issue that has generated considerable concern, disappointment and apprehension within the veterans’ community.
The recent approval of an increase in the monthly pensions of retired military personnel, reportedly ranging between 30% and 80% according to rank and applicable category, was received by the veterans’ community as a welcome and long-overdue demonstration of the Federal Government’s recognition of the sacrifices made by those who served the nation.
However, the actual payments received by many veterans appear, in several instances, to fall substantially below the percentages publicly communicated and contained in the relevant official pronouncements and circulars. Some veterans have reportedly observed discrepancies approaching 40% below the expected increase.
This development has understandably generated widespread concern and questions among veterans.
THE PROPOSED CLOSED-DOOR MEETING
We are aware that the Military Pensions Board has invited selected representatives of the veterans’ community to a meeting to explain the modalities and basis upon which the pension adjustments were calculated and paid.
While dialogue between the Board and veterans is commendable, I respectfully submit that a meeting involving only a limited number of representatives may not, by its very nature, sufficiently capture the experiences, concerns and expectations of the wider body of affected veterans.
This is particularly important because the matter concerns thousands of retired personnel across different ranks, formations, services and pension categories.
The issue before us is therefore not merely an administrative disagreement over figures. It is fundamentally a question of confidence, transparency and fidelity to an approved national policy.
If a percentage increase has been publicly approved and communicated through official government channels, the natural expectation of the beneficiaries is that the corresponding financial implementation should faithfully reflect that approval, subject only to clearly stated and verifiable statutory considerations.
There should therefore be no ambiguity capable of creating the impression that the goodwill and benevolence of Mr. President has somehow been diminished between the point of approval and the point of implementation.
THE NEED FOR TRANSPARENCY
Your Excellency, retired military veterans are not asking for preferential treatment. We are asking for clarity, consistency and justice.
These are men and women who gave the most productive years of their lives to the service and defence of the Nigerian state. Many served under extremely difficult conditions, away from their families and in circumstances where personal safety was often secondary to national duty.
It would therefore be profoundly unfortunate if an initiative intended to bring relief, dignity and renewed confidence to this community were to become a source of further anxiety and distrust.
Accordingly, any explanation arising from the proposed engagement with selected representatives must be fully reconcilable with the figures, percentages and implementation framework officially published by the relevant government authorities, including the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).
If there are legitimate technical, statutory, tax, pensionable-earnings or administrative considerations responsible for the apparent differences, the veterans deserve to know them openly, comprehensively and in writing.
Conversely, if the final payment structure differs materially from what was officially communicated, the precise authority, calculation methodology and legal or administrative basis for such variance should be publicly disclosed.
PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF MR. PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL
Your Excellency, this appeal is not intended to undermine the Military Pensions Board or any government institution. Rather, it is intended to protect the integrity of the Presidential approval itself.
The veterans’ community should never be placed in a position where it is forced to wonder whether the relief approved at the highest level of government has been fully transmitted into actual financial benefit.
Any outcome of the engagement which appears materially inconsistent with the officially published pension-increase structure, without a clear and independently verifiable explanation, could unfortunately create an impression of institutional compromise, administrative distortion or an attempt to rationalise a variance after the fact.
Such a perception, whether ultimately justified or not, would be deeply damaging to confidence in the pension administration system and could unnecessarily aggravate an already sensitive situation within the veterans’ community.
OUR HUMBLE BUT FIRM REQUEST
We therefore respectfully call upon Your Excellency, as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and upon the Chairman of the Military Pensions Board, to consider the following:
1. A comprehensive review and reconciliation of the approved pension-increase structure against the actual amounts paid to beneficiaries.
2. Publication of the applicable calculation methodology, showing clearly how the approved percentages were translated into the new pension figures for each rank/category.
3. A transparent explanation of every material variance between the officially communicated increase and the amount actually received by affected veterans.
4. Where an underpayment is established, immediate computation and payment of all outstanding arrears due to affected pensioners.
5. That the outcome of any consultation with selected veterans’ representatives should not be regarded as conclusively representing the position of the entire veterans’ community without adequate disclosure and wider consultation.
6. That the Federal Government should establish a mechanism through which individual veterans can independently verify their old pension, approved increase, new pension and any outstanding balance.
CONCLUSION
Your Excellency, the men and women who served Nigeria in uniform do not seek confrontation with the government they once swore to defend. What they seek is the preservation of honour, dignity, fairness and trust.
A pension increase approved in recognition of their years of service should not become a source of uncertainty. The veterans’ community deserves to understand exactly what was approved, what was calculated, what was paid and, where applicable, what remains outstanding.
We therefore appeal to Your Excellency to ensure that the matter receives the highest level of administrative scrutiny necessary to establish the facts and protect the confidence of the retired military community.
The nation must never forget those who stood in its defence.
A transparent resolution of this matter would not only bring relief to affected veterans; it would also reaffirm the principle that when the Nigerian State makes a commitment to those who served it, that commitment must be implemented with fidelity, transparency and honour.
We respectfully await decisive intervention in the interest of justice, institutional integrity and national cohesion.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Long live the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Long live the gallant veterans who served and sacrificed for our nation.
Respectfully submitted,
Iretide Opeyemi Adeleye
Concerned Retired Military Veteran
For and on behalf of concerned members of the Veterans’ Community