A group of retired Nigerian soldiers who fought during the Civil War have appealed to the federal government to pay their outstanding pension arrears.
The 63 retired Nigerian Army soldiers, who were enlisted between 1967 and 1978, claimed they had not received their pension payments despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of N134.7 billion for military veteran pensions in 2020.
This was revealed in a statement by the secretary to the retired soldiers, Alhaji Bello Oseni, who said their documentation was verified by the Military Pensioner Board in 2023, but they are yet to receive their dues.
The statement revealed that the retired soldiers, aged between 76 and 85, are struggling to make ends meet, with some still living in their father’s houses built in the 1920s and 1930s.
They have appealed to former presidents, Senate, House of Representatives, senior advocates of Nigeria, human rights activists, and influential individuals to intervene and help them retrieve their long-overdue pension payments.
They appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate and House of Representatives to intervene.
They also called on civil societies to advocate for their requests.