The inception of the Obasanjo government in 1999 brought a lot of hope and reforms to people in every sector of the national economy. Although some key sectors of the economy have recorded some giant strides, while some are not even talked about, and others remain as a mirage.

Every thing is at stake when a gap emerges between the government and its performances, continuously, the Nigerian Army protects the country, and at the end, the efforts are not applauded even with a little thank you in return. One of the disturbing trends in Nigeria today is the attitude of the government towards the military pensioners.

You can agree with me that people who are living after active service have one thing in common; they have put their lives on hold. The military pensioners are one of those people in that category.

These are people who served the country with all their lives, they are the securities of Nigeria, there is no doubt that without the Nigerian Army the security of the nation would not be guaranteed.

The pension reform Act 2004 states that pension is the right of an employee or self employed individual to derive some benefit upon retirement from active employment if certain condition such as minimum years of service or minimum age have been attained. Retirement benefits which are generally referred to as pensions consist of lump sum (gratuity) payment upon withdrawal from service and periodical payments monthly quarterly as pension.

The purpose of this pension is for an employee to secure at retirement, a standard of living reasonably consistent with that enjoyed during employment. In Nigeria the pension scheme evolved during colonial times was actively promoted for civil service, and this is one of the motivating factors attracting personnel to the public service. If this is the purpose of pension, ex-soldier wouldn’t be suffering and living a frustrated lives as the case today in the country.

My name is Sukume Tumba with number 63NA\228645. I joined the Army in 1969 and left 1989 “because the military authorities felt that I and my colleagues who where injured in the war could not be regarded as being physically fit for active service” I can recall during the civil war, I saw so many things, action and threats.

I enjoyed pension for a while but all of a sudden this was stopped, unfortunately this is the tale of many ex-soldier my father included. They gave them false hope at the beginning and took it away so rudely that it leaves them not only shattered (physically and emotionally) but in constant regret.

If the aim of pension is to assist improvident individual by ensuring that they cater for their livelihood during old age than why would the government or broad stop your pension after serving the country? These are men who fought to keep Nigeria one. Men who crossed numerous bridges to unite Nigeria.

I have a soft spot regarding the Nigerian Army fortunately my father was among this class I can remember very well when my dad was sent to Liberia for peace keeping operation under the umbrella of economy community of monitoring group (ECOMOG) operating in the early nineties. I thought my dad would never come back because I knew of many parents that never came back. There was no phone, no letter when he left, we were just living by hope because he made us believe he was coming back and that he pledged to serve Nigeria with all his strength and defend her unity.

After retirement, my father was one of the graduates of Armed forces Rises resettlement centre Oshodi, after that they were still paid their monthly salaries we are all tabulating that at least they were still remembered by the government of the day even before the payment of their gratuity, unknowing to us the salaries they are paid was out of their gratuity.

It is said that, the Nigeria Army today after serving for thirty years, all that would be given to you as your gratuity will not be enough to even build a house and save some thing for the rainy day.

How can a soldier, that has served the nation for thirty years be paid the sum of 500,000 (the Lucky ones) as his gratuity? After all, we have leaders that can spend such amount in a twinkle of an eye. But this is the same amount that would be given to as soldier that has laboured for thirty years.

That was the beginning of my family wahala; my father went through hell just to see that the family is catered for because his pension was not enough and was not even coming all the right time. How can a man that has a family of eight not be paid for six months? What will you do? That means you can’t even feed your family talk less of saving.

One of the ordeals part of the pensioners,is the verification exercise, as a result of this exercise many pensioners lost their lives, because some one that is sick today, no matter how serious the sickness is you must go for this exercise.

There is one thing I believe about life; life is a tale of woe. My father woke up one morning to only find out that his right hand and leg were paralyze and it resulted to stroke and 2 weeks later they were suppose to report in Yola Adamawa state for verification and he was still suffering from strokes, his condition was getting worst every day, but he just had to go for the screening.

My uncles and aunties decided that some body from the family should go and report on his behalf with his medical report, my dad said it is not possible, that the military authorities don’t give ears to such issues, I was surprised because I knew the sacrifices this people gave to this country my uncle and I went to Yola with my dad for the screening, I saw many cases, some were vomiting blood, some were on wheel, and some died there as a result of the stress they went through, because they were unfit and suppose to be on their sick bed.

The scene of the verification exercise is nothing to write home about, these heroes are treated like those that are to be newly recruited into the Nigeria Army, they are always seen under the trees like refuges without homes, as if is not the country they laboured for, not even  a foreigner would be treated like that.

I believe today that the government has a better way of treating this people, whose lives they gave the nation, these are models, they are heroes of this land, can’t the government do this verification, local government by local government? Since in every local government there is a legion chairman, what is the work of these legion chairman? Can’t they speak? Or is it not affecting them?

My father died after 2 months, I still blame the government for some of the things that is happening to my family today. My poor mother a widow, is running helter, skelter to feed the family, it was not easy for my father talk less of my mother, they stopped my father pension one month after his death, does it mean that this heroes are totally forgotten after their death in the Nigeria context?

Please the government should come to the rescue of widows and orphans, we cannot have good education, we are not sure of our next meals.

The heroes of this land should not be render homeless, the labour of these heroes should not be in vein.

When captain A-B kachiros was made the chairman of the pension board he raised two important issues, at first he thought of restoring these people, secondly he also thought of giving than a lump sum and he said the total amounts required for this efforts is N22 billion and that is a policy issue and without a directive from the higher authorities he cannot act. If A-B Kachiro really wants to help these ex-service men, why wouldn’t the government support him? Or are we saying that the federal government does not have this sum of money? These heroes are not supposed to be treated like foreigners in their fatherland, after spending their youthful age in service and choose to keep this nation together they should not be subjected to this type of maltreatment.

It is disquieting that those who fought with their lives to keep this nation as one indivisible entity are today neglected and allowed to live in penury and deplorable lives. They shed their blood for others to live in peace and harmony. They had sleepiness nights for those who are today spear heading the affairs of this country.

All over Nigeria, the plights of these retired soldiers are the same, majority of them are living sub-human life and they are hardly employed because, they are been incapacitated by the injuries, they obtained during the war years. Their children cannot have good education, clothing or shelter. “Don’t we think that these selfless heroes should be rewarded for their heroes’ job? And turn them into role models for young man to emulate?

The federal government has come up with a new pension policy. According to the new pension scheme all civil servants must register with a recognized and approved pension manager. But will these solve the lingering problems bedeviling military pensioners?  what will be the fate of those that have been suffering from this maltreatment? Will the new pension policy consider their plight?

Jane Aiso

Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri  

janny4real@yahoo.com