By George Onah
MILITARY pensioners in the South-South, are planning to take up arms against the Federal Government over unpaid five years pension arrears to draw public attention to their plight, stressing that “a man fights several wars before he goes into six feet”.

Under the aegis of Nigerian Military Pensioners Welfare Association, NMPWA, the ex-servicemen gathered recently in a suburb of Rumukrushi community, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to strategise on how to get the arrears paid and vowed to lay down their lives for the benefit of ex-servicemen and serving personnel.

Maj. Danjuma Kibo who highlighted the plight of the retirees, told the 67 ex-servicemen at the gathering said they could be forced to blow up major pipelines in the Niger Delta region should it become necessary to force the authorities pay their benefits.

Nigerian Soldiers on parade. Is their pension guaranteed after retirement? Inset: Director, Military Pension Board, Rear Admiral BalaMohammed Mshelia,

Speaking, Maj Kibo, recalled how he fought alongside the Black Scorpion Brig-Gen Benjamin Adekunle, of the 3rd Marine Commando fame, in the capture of Calabar, during the Nigerian Civil War, saying “not just that, I also fought alongside Lt. Col. Utuk, 16 Brigade Commander and late Maj. Hamman who was brigade major, when Owerri was blocked by the Biafrans in 1968.”

According to him, there was a salary proposal, last year, which emanated from the Directorate of Military Pensions, DMP, to the effect that pensioners who are private soldiers would be paid N53, 600, L/Cpl – N57,300, Corporal – N61,600, SGT – N79,200, S/SGT – N123,700, Warrant Officer, (WO) – N146,500, while Master Warrant Officer (MWO) would be paid N162,300.

Although not disclosing the salary of Army Warrant Officer (AWO) and commissioned officers, he, however, said the disparity was similar to those that had been made public.

Also, he said after being owed 23 percent and 15 percent for over five years “the DMP paid some miserable amount of arrears in June 2010. In order to confuse us the arrears was paid along with June Salary. People expected some good money only to receive pittance.

The former director of DMP announced again publicly early this year that pensioners were being owed 53 percent arrears and would be paid when budget is approved. Several months after the approval of the budget have not changed anything.

We got information in July that the arrears of salary and new scale were being prepared for immediate payment, but this is November and nothing seems to be in the offing. What we are asking for is our legitimate rights because the law of the land states that whenever there is increment for serving workers, pensioners would be affected. It is on the basis of this that we ask that we be paid our entitlements.”

Talk tough

“I want to let you know that we are not kidding in this whole threat to blow up pipelines. That is because we think that it is better to lie in the grave honourably than stay alive like the dregs of the society. We have paid our dues in life because we invested our youths for this country.

As someone who was piped as second lieutenant at the Defence Academy, Kaduna, in 1967, you should know that I joined the army when there was still orderliness in the scheme of things in Nigeria. Many of my mates rose to become generals while some of us ended up the way we did due to no fault of ours but the important thing is that we are pensioners and do have something to fall back every month.

But the fallback must be reasonable because of what has become of the situation in the country. What will N70, 000 a month do for a man who has come all the way through thick and torn. We may die in the course of blowing up those pipelines but those who are alive would reap the benefits of our actions.”

He added that “Our aim centres on the fact that some politicians have made it a point of duty to display their vulgar wealth across the landscape of this country while those who fought to keep the country united are languishing in abject poverty.

Our retired generals in the senate and those in government have gone to sleep over the plight of ex-servicemen because they are very comfortable. We are watching them and we will strike as soon as our patients run out and it would not be long.

This is our only way of drawing attention to the inhuman and disgraceful manner which military pensioners are being treated. The battle order is being drawn out and it would soon be communicated to the foot soldiers of the association. We will also employ the services of those we consider as friendly comrades in carrying out our plan. All we are interested in is the payment of the 53 percent and implementation of the new scale as the case may be.”

Commend Abubakar, Obasanjo

Corroborating, National Secretary of the association Capt. Don Pedro, said he was “pained by the decision we are about to take. I am a Rivers man and also a Bayelsan. I saw action variously during the Nigerian/Biafra war. I fought from Bonny alongside Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade who was commander sector 2, Bonny, when he was a Lt. Col.

We fought all the way through, Port Harcourt, Owerri to Oguta. Many of my colleagues died during that war. So, why are those of us who survived the war being treated so shabbily? Right now some of us may be considered weak or frail to do any harm. But it would be foolhardy for anyone to reason like that.

To have been trained in combat, reconnaissance, jungle warfare and so on cannot vanish from the brain till death. I do not have to put the dynamites myself but there are boys who would swim under water and plant the bomb. No one should make a mistake about the fighting ability of the deadly and deprived soul of a soldier, whether retired or serving.

All the men you are seeing in this hall fought a war or the other. Some fought throughout the civil war, some in Lebanon, while some were in Liberia. Some were also in Somalia, Chad and there are also those who tackled the Maitesine trouble in Kano.”

“These people did not launch themselves to war for the sake of fighting. Rather, the nation sent them to fight for its image or contribution to world peace. Living in Port Harcourt and Yenagoa could be very expensive because of the oil workers and their fat salaries.

So, when salaries are increased and pensioners are left in the cold it, it can call for any reaction from the deprived citizens.   We thank General Abdulsalam Abubakar and former President Olusegun Obasanjo to have increased our pension to the level it is now.

We know that it was late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who ordered that we should be paid the arrears of the new scale in June, 2010. All after that payment nothing has been forthcoming about the 53 percent arrears owed us.

We are aware that some persons in government are advising Mr. President wrongly, but when we go into the creeks to commit havoc to the economy of the country, everyone would suffer the consequences. We may not have arms and ammunition today but when the operation starts, we would have more than we require.

For now, all we need to strike with would be dynamites and with dynamites we can procure arms and ammunition. We in the association are highly disciplined ex-soldiers and have decided to brief the press to inform the world before taking action that is imminent unless the government acts fast or at least tell us the situation of things regarding the 53 percent.”

Military reacts to threat

The military authority in 2 Brigade Port Harcourt, who did not want to be mentioned, informed Pension and You that the “threat of the ex-servicemen is being communicated in writing to higher quarters. We do hope the authorities would act on the report.”

The officer said efforts were being made to get in touch with the leadership of the association with a view to informing the men that the publication of their threat was seen in the newspapers and was being acted upon.