From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

Civil war veterans who fought the 30-month civil war between 1967 and 1970, under the aegis of Able Voluntary Retired or Discharged Ten Years and Above Military Service, have sent a save-our-soul message to President Muhammadu Buhari, over non-payment of their pensions by the Federal Government in 38 years.

National Coordinator of the group, Sergeant Kasali Busari (retd), yesterday, told newsmen in Ibadan that “it will be unfortunate to subject these courageous citizens to untold hardship in their old age when, as a matter of law, the right to receive pension is guaranteed by the provision of section 173 of the 1999 Constitution.

“This group has lost some of our compatriots due to inability to afford basic medical facilities to take care of themselves.”

He, however, commended president Buhari, his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, chairman of the Military Pension Board (MPB), for ensuring inclusion of the First Republic of Nigeria 1963 (intake) officers and other ranks and voluntarily retired or discharged with Nigerian Armed Forces during the last verification exercise for military pension between October and November 2015.

After the exercise, according to him, members of the group “were issued the military pension board biometric data printed copies which clearly stated genuine pensioners with pension effective date.”

He added that since the verification was completed more than 12 months ago, members of the group havenot been paid any pension.

Busari noted that majority of the 1963 intakes who fought the civil war had been qualified to be paid pensionfrom 1978 till date.

“The democratisation policy of the Federal Military Government between 1976 and 1979 caused some of us to cross to the Police Service Commission, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Federal Ministry of Education (teaching department) and so on.

“Those of us who did not go that way were voluntarily retired or discharged from service between 1978 and 1992.”

He urged the federal government and the MPB to effect payment of their pensions, “which we have been longing for, to ameliorate our suffering and save us from further psychological and physical torture we have experienced after we staked our lives to keep the country united.”