Retired military officers plead for pension arrears
Suleiman Bello
Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers’ Association (RANAO), on Monday appealed to Federal Government to pay their outstanding arrears of the 53 per cent increase in pension from 2010.
The President of the association, Lt. Col. Tony Ogbomo (retd), made the plea at the inauguration of the newly elected RANAO executives in Abuja.
Ogbomo urged the government to harmonise their pension with salaries of their colleagues in service.
He also demanded for review of supervising organs for welfare of veterans, explaining that this would help to transform the lives of veterans in the country.
According to him, Nigerian Legion Act should be implemented to the letter.
“The Veterans Affairs Department in the ministry of Defence should be reorganised into a more effective and efficient welfare-oriented establishment to be headed by a retired military officer.
“The department should also be manned by military retirees and discharged personnel.
“The Military Pensions Board should be restructured to allow for a mixture of both active and retired personnel in its employment to ensure check and balance and flow of information,” he said.
Gbomo was of the opinion that veterans’ organisations should be brought under one umbrella body – the Nigerian Veterans Federation or Veterans Federation of Nigeria.
He appealed to all to support RANAO to ensure that “the labours of heroes past shall never be in vain.”
“Please join us to sustain our meritorious retirement,” Ogbomo pleaded.
The outgoing president of the association, Major General Rabiu Alliu(retd), urged members to work with the new executive to move the association forward.
The new executive committee who were elected on 22 May, in Kaduna during the association’s 27th Annual General Meeting (AGM) are: Maj.-Gen Alexander Mshebwala (retd), National Vice President; Lt. Col. Ralph Ugwo (retd), Secretary-General and Brig.-Gen. James Adejo (retd) Treasurer.
