•Ex- warriors
Nigerian civil war veterans and the next of kin of the fallen heroes embarked on a peaceful protest with a threat to shut down federal government facilities nationwide over unpaid 45-year pension arrears.
•The protesters
The protesters, as reliably gathered, have records of service of 10 years and above, which entitled them to payment of pension but they are being deprived of their rights by the successive administration in the country, reports Nigerian Tribune.
Disturbed by the trend, which has resulted in the deaths of no fewer than 250 retired soldiers while an undisclosed number of others are bedridden as well, unable to afford the payment of their medical bills and having been financially incapacitated, the protesters took to the major streets in Ibadan, thereby paralysing business and other activities in the affected areas.
The protest, which took off from the State secretariat of the Nigerian Legion, Agodi gate in Ibadan North Local Government Area saw the aggrieved protesters displaying placards with inscriptions such as, ‘President Tinubu, come to our aid. ‘We are dying of hunger’. ‘We can no longer afford medical bills’. ‘We have lost no fewer than 250 members to avoidable death’.
The protesters who claimed to have successfully defended the country against the rampaging Biafran soldiers disclosed that they have been made to appear before different screening committees with certificates to back up the claims, yet no payment has been made to date.
“Successive administrations in the country, except for former President Musa Yar’Adua, were insensitive to our plights.
“We have been living on fake promises. We are losing our members daily. We are noble men and women, but we hope that President Bola Tinubu will not force us to draw a battle line.
“It is sad to note that the veterans who fought on the side of Biafra have been enjoying the benefits that we are fighting for.
“We are being treated as aliens in our fatherland. Enough is enough.”
Corroborating their view, the National Coordinator, Corporal Babawande Phillips (rtd), said they have been invited to meetings several times on this issue in Abuja, but no result.
According to him, “We had meetings with federal government representatives in 2015, 2019 and 2020 with a promise that the issue will be resolved. Here we are today. It has always been a case of empty promises.
“Our obedient dog has been driven to the wall. It is now time to fight back. We are embarking on a warning protest after this; we will not hesitate to shutdown government facilities if the result is not forthcoming.”
