By John Joseph
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A potentially explosive confrontation is brewing between the Federal Government and military retirees over the Veterans Bill. The bone of contention is the government’s alleged failure to implement the provisions of the bill, which aims to provide financial and healthcare benefits to military veterans.At the heart of the dispute is the non-payment of the 28% increment in pensions, which was approved in January. Additionally, the retirees are demanding the payment of three months’ palliative and a N32,000 flat rate, which was added to their benefits in July. They are also seeking the bulk payment of Special Duty Allowance (SDA) with a new template, regardless of their retirement year. The retired military personnel, under the umbrella of the Coalition of Concerned Veterans (CCV), have been protesting the non-implementation of the Veterans Bill. They have disrupted activities at the Federal Ministry of Finance, carrying banners and placards to express their grievances.One of the retirees appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and direct the military authorities to pay their pensions without further delay. The retirees have also called for the review and passage of the Veterans Bill in line with global best practices.In a related development, the Federal Government has enrolled 110,000 military veterans into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, disclosed that the government had initially enrolled 20,000 military retirees when the scheme took off, but the number has since increased to 110,000.
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