- By Muyiwa Samuel-
Retired Military officers of Ekiti State origin, who retired voluntarily after the civil war of 1967 -1970, have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to begin payment of pension to their members to rescue them from poverty and untimely death.
They lamented that no fewer than 60 of their members out of the 240 had died because they could not afford proper feeding and medical treatment due to unpaid entitlements.
Addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, the ex-officers under the aegis of Voluntarily Retired Military Officers, 1978-1979, Ekiti chapter, its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Bello Oseni, urged President Buhari to honour his 2015 pledge to extend the payment of pension to all retired officers that partook in the civil war.
Oseni lauded President Buhari for remembering them in 2015 upon ascending the throne of governance, after 36 years of neglect by successive military and democratic governments.
He said President Buhari having been elected in 2015 summoned members to Abuja and instructed the Military Pensions Board to verify their documents, where they were certified to be legitimate military officers.
“But since then, we have not heard anything again. We commend President Muhammadu Buhari for remembering us after four decades of neglect, but we appeal that this pledge should be implemented in due course.
“We started this struggle with 240 members, today we are 180 with about 70 of nursing severe ailments and only praying to get over.
“We were on the battlefield for over three years. We fought for the unity of this nation. We kept Nigeria one and we deserved to be taken care of.
“We have no regret serving our fatherland, but we are surprised that those who fought a nation one and rescue it from disintegration could be treated this way. Helping us at this stage will send a signal of patriotism to Nigerians because all we did was out of patriotic spirit.
“But we believe in the integrity of President Buhari. He is a retired Military officer with a human face. He knew what it means for somebody to fight a civil war. He understands the language of war.
“It was because of President Buhari’s passionate spirit that spurred him to invite us to Abuja in 2015 as honour. We plead that he fulfils all his promises to us so that we can reap the fruits of our labour.
“We pray that Nigeria remains together, so that the labour of our founding fathers and war heroes, including us we not be in vain,” he said.
