Retired Nigerian military officers have accused the Military Pension Board of gross irregularity and misappropriation of funds due to ex-service men.
Besides, the retired officers raised concern on the late implementation of Military Pensioners’ Wage Consequential Adjustment and sharp deduction below approved rate.
Speaking with journalists on Saturday, Publicity Officer of Retired Army, Navy, Airforce Officers Association, Kano State chapter, Capt. Yusuf Abdulmaliq (rtd.), regretted that retired officers were being denied their entitlement.
He explained that the Federal Government approved the consequential adjustment since April 2019, but the pension board only commenced the implementation on May 27, 2021.
The retired captain, however, worried that despite the 25 months delay, the board failed to implement the consequential salaries as approved by National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.
Fearing that unless the irregularities are subjected to thorough scrutiny by anti-graft agencies, he said military pensioners might end up losing their accumulated arrears and the deducted percentage.
“We don’t want this situation to end up the way 33 per cent was deducted out of the 53 per cent increase in the consolidated salaries approved by the Goodluck Jonathan government.
“We were told by the then finance minister that the 33 percentage was deducted for military housing scheme and tax. As at today, nobody has ever received or allocated any house. By loss, retired officers are excluded from tax payment. This is how we lost the 33 per cent. We don’t want that to happen here,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the retired officers sympathised with families of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and other officers who died in the Kaduna plane crash recently.
They also prayed for successful tenure of the new COAS, Maj-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, pledging their support and loyalty to him.
