Onuh Onuh James ▶ Association of Military Pensioners of Nigeria
Nigerian Armed Forces and COVID-19 Palliative: who deserves them?
I have continued to wonder what has gone wrong with our thinking process. I am bothered to my marrows why people in high offices in the Nigerian Armed Forces are not reasoning properly. Is it that they are really and truly bereft of ideas, lack good quality advisers or because they do not have the smallest, infinitesimal or the minutest regard for the lives of the retiree community? For me, the latter fits the situation most, therefore, no other excuse will be acceptable to us under any guise.
It is quite unfortunate and utterly regrettable to hear on national television stations, social media and heard over the radio stations how the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) are going about the entire country distributing COVID-19 Palliative items to indigent Nigerians, very good indeed! Surprisingly, these various Service Chiefs; COAS, CNS and CAS have been heading these distributions but regretfully, they have failed to recognized the many millions of their own personnel whom they have used and dumped who themselves have become more indigents than those being giving palliatives while those of us who were made indigents by the state and are scattered across the length and breadth of Nigeria are made to languish in abject poverty and in perpetual want.
Has it ever crossed these senior officer's minds that those of us whom they have impoverished overtime through their maladministration, usurping part of our pay and allowances, shortchanging us in our gratuities, pensions and other retirement benefits which rightly belong to us, so much so that we are living from hands to mouths as a result of these illegal denials, we are not indigent enough to need palliative? Who is more indigent than the Nigeria's veterans as it is in the present day Nigeria?
It is no use talking about many unpaid pension arrears, arrears of 16 months consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage approved by government. Let the Chief of Defence Staff and his Service Chiefs tell the whole world who are more indigent than retired members of Nigerian Armed Forces. They can't pay us all that truly belong to us, they have continued to share palliatives to their known indigents and those of us whom they have made indigent for serving our country, we have been totally and inhumanly denied our legitimate allowances roundabout us, yet none of these people have bothered to give veterans plight a thought. However, in their myopic reasoning, that is if they reason at all, it's forgone conclusion that everyone today is affected by COVID-19 but veterans of Nigerian military. Our offence is that we have served our country but no matter the gravity of our offence, no veteran is regretting to have served his father's land. Nigeria to us is the land of the Rising Sun and no amount of corruption can deem her light!
We have known you to be Ogres but you cannot kill all of us nor continue to rip veterans apart but it is just a matter of time, at the nick of time, you will pay, and pay through your noses you will very soon!!!