FG, military retirees set for showdown over veterans bill
There were indications on Friday of a looming showdown between retired military personnel and the Federal Government over the alleged imposition of a bill designed to address their welfare and representation.
To express their discontent with the bill, Saturday PUNCH gathered that the retirees were planning to shut down the Ministry of Defence, as they did last December at the Ministry of Finance over unpaid entitlements.
The bill, currently under review by the Defence Headquarters and the Ministry of Justice, has been bogged down by reported contentious clauses, notably those concerning rank-based appointments among others.
At the heart of the disagreement is a provision that allocates leadership positions within veterans’ organisations based on rank—for example, a Major General as national chairman, a Colonel as state chairman, and a Major as local government chairman.
Our correspondent gathered that despite the retirees’ objections to these and other provisions, the Ministry of Defence had continued to take steps towards implementing the bill.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Friday, a leader of the military retirees’ community, Aliyu Umar, explained that the need for the bill stemmed from the ineffectiveness of the Nigerian Legion.
He said, “The Nigerian Legion, which was originally established to represent and cater to veterans, has long been compromised. It has turned into a self-serving institution with no accountability, alienating all surviving military veterans.
“This failure has led to the proliferation of independent veterans’ associations, as veterans no longer trust the Legion, especially with its significant civilian infiltration. The Coalition of Concerned Veterans has already assumed many responsibilities abandoned by the Legion.”
He further emphasised that the solution to ensuring the welfare of military retirees lies in the establishment of the Veterans Federation of Nigeria.
According to him, “The solution lies in establishing the Veterans Federation of Nigeria. Under the VFN, veterans would democratically elect their leaders, ensuring fair representation and accountability.”
The retirees expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in finalising the bill and the alleged imposition of certain provisions.
He added, “If the government continues to delay the establishment of the VFN and fails to remove the contentious clauses, veterans are prepared to embark on a nationwide protest that will persist until their demands are met. We will replicate what some of our members did last year at the Ministry of Finance at the Ministry of Defence.”
The Defence Ministry has remained tight-lipped on the issue. Efforts to reach the ministry’s spokesperson, Henshaw Ogbuike, proved abortive.
Similarly, calls to the Defence Headquarters’ Director of Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, went unanswered. He has yet to respond to a message sent to him regarding the matter.
