Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB), Air Vice Marshal Mikail Abdulraheem, has urged army veterans to unite underneath a standard platform to strengthen their advocacy for improved pensions and welfare.
Abdulraheem made the decision at a press convention following a gathering with protesting army pensioners in Abuja.
He defined that the board was sure by the authorized framework governing army pension administration and couldn’t act exterior its provisions. He suggested pensioners in search of modifications to current laws to strategy the National Assembly.
The chairman additionally urged veterans to beat divisions inside their ranks, noting {that a} united affiliation could be higher positioned to affect authorities insurance policies on pensions and different welfare issues.
“Veterans should form a very strong, cohesive body that can speak with one voice,” he mentioned, including that political leaders and presidential aspirants ought to give due consideration to their issues, significantly throughout election durations.
Abdulraheem additional appealed to journalists to confirm allegations in regards to the board earlier than publication, warning that unsubstantiated experiences might undermine public confidence in the establishment and jeopardise the pursuits of army retirees.
“Whenever you hear something negative about the board, please do not be in a hurry to publish. Verify it with the board, and we are ready to speak to you,” he mentioned.
He careworn that accountable reporting was important to defending the board’s credibility and the pension pursuits of serving personnel who would finally retire.
“I need you to grasp that I’m a son of a veteran. I’ll turn into a veteran myself in the long run. If I cheat veterans as we speak, I may also be affecting myself as a result of I’ll finally belong to the identical neighborhood. It is due to this fact not in my curiosity to disclaim anybody what’s legitimately as a consequence of them. However, we should be guided by the legislation.
“There are conditions the place folks could have sturdy emotions about a difficulty, however the legislation supplies the process that should be adopted. I attraction to everybody to strategy this matter with an open thoughts. Let us talk about the precise points raised in the letter earlier than transferring on to different issues.
“The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission was also invited to provide clarification so that the relevant calculations and applicable provisions could be examined transparently. The board is guided by the relevant pension legislation, including the applicable provisions of the Pension Reform Act. We want the issues to be discussed openly and resolved based on the facts and the law,” he mentioned.
A army veteran, Master Warrant Officer Sadura Augustine, mentioned the pensioners had visited the board’s headquarters to debate points affecting army retirees and search clarification on their pensions.
“The difficulty earlier than us issues the consequential adjustment and the quantities obtained by pensioners. We consider in transparency and entry to data. The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission has a wage construction related to pension computation, and we need to perceive the way it was utilized in our case.
“Our concern is that the announced percentages do not appear to correspond with the increases received by some pensioners. We want to understand our gross pension entitlements and how the adjustments were calculated to arrive at the amounts we are now receiving,” he mentioned.
