Retired naval officers protest over unpaid allowances

A group of former naval officers threatened to stage a protest at the naval headquarters on Monday if their long-overdue allowances were not paid immediately.

The retired naval personnel, who completed their service in June 2019, expressed their frustration and disappointment over the non-payment of their terminal leave and packing allowances, despite repeated requests and appeals to successive naval chiefs.

The retired officers, in a letter signed by Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, Secretary of the Coalition of Concerned Veterans, threatened to occupy the naval headquarters, even at the risk of their own lives, to demand payment of their outstanding allowances.

“It is to be noted that the Security Debarment Allowance and the Pension and Gratuity paid by DHQ and MPB respectively to the same retirees about two months after their retirement in June 2019 were calculated based on Reference B.

“Therefore, the claims by Rear Admiral K.M. Bushi that the MAFA was not funded until 2020 cannot be true, judging from the above payments. This is mere negligence of duty on the part of the former Chief of Accounts and Budget, for not including it in the Navy budget of 2019, if his claim is true.

“Furthermore, if the assertion of the very senior officer is to be taken seriously, what stops him from including it in the 2020 budget, even if it was arrears, after all, he admitted that the MAFA covered the concerned retirees since it was signed on January 26, 2018, with an effective date of November 9, 2017, while the officers and ratings retired on June 24, 2019,” the statement said.

The veterans cautioned that their patience was running out, asking the Navy high command to see to their requests.

“Our patience is running out and the least the Navy would do is to kill all of us by the time we occupy its headquarters to demand our rights and entitlements, while the general public and the world will judge if our demands are legitimate or not,” the statement concluded.

When contacted, Air Commodore Aiwuyo Adams-Aliu, the spokesman of the Nigerian Navy, stated, “Findings reveal that this issue has been ongoing and originated long before the present Chief of the Naval Staff assumed command of the Nigerian Navy.

“Similarly, it originated long before the present Chief of Accounts and Budget was appointed. Nevertheless, the issues are being treated officially and will be addressed accordingly.”