Kingsley Omonobi
1 December 2008
About 750 retired military personnel, or their next of kins, forgotten for between 10 to 30 years, are to benefit from the payment of gratuities and death benefits from the Military Pensions Board (MPB) this year on account of having met the requirements of being properly retired or discharged from the Nigerian military.
Chairman of the board, Brigadier General BVT Kwaji, who made the disclosure while flagging off the presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries noted that the payment exercise, which is a continuation of the board's determination to clear all pension arrears, outstanding gratuities and death benefits to ex-soldiers and NOK's of deceased personnel will last up till the end of this year.
Recalling that the board has conducted several payment exercises since January this year, Kwaji said the last one took place on October 6th 2008, adding that these exercises are meant to ensure that military pensioners or NOK's get their entitlements without delay.
"I want to use this medium to say that all genuine military retirees with outstanding claims at the board are encouraged to make themselves available with their claims so that their problems can be resolved quickly.
They are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that their documents get to the board as soon as possible so that it can be processed and paid. It is also their responsibility to ensure that their names are on the payroll at all times" he said.
Disclosing that the board has been inundated with demands for payment of outstanding pension arrears, some for period of up to 10-13 years, the Chairman re-emphasized that release of funds to the MPB is based on yearly budgetary provisions.
"Some of these cases are prevalent because some retirees relocated overseas on retirement or disengagement from service, while some did not bother to document and be pay rolled at the MPB because the monthly pension then was very small or the stress in getting paid was too much to bear", Gen. Kwaji said.
"Now that the payment of monthly pension has been stabilized, we are receiving deluge of requests for restoration on the payroll and payment of pension arrears, some for 30 years", he explained, adding, "though the board will continue to address some of these problems, we will find it difficult to pay outstanding arrears of say 10-30 years.
Retirees are therefore advised to visit the MPB as soon as possible and regularise the payment of their monthly pensions so that cases of pension arrears will not arise".
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