•Tinubu (R) and sacked service chiefs
The sacked Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and two other service chiefs, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, are set to receive generous retirement benefits.
The benefits include bulletproof vehicles, domestic aides, and lifetime medical care, reports Sunday PUNCH.
Their exit follows President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of new service chiefs on Friday.
General Olufemi Oluyede has been named the new Chief of Defence Staff, while Major-General W. Shaibu takes over as Chief of Army Staff.
Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke becomes the new Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas the Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retains his position.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said in a statement on Friday that the removal of the service chiefs was in furtherance of the federal government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture.
According to the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, signed by President Tinubu on December 14, 2024, the service chiefs are entitled to substantial retirement packages upon disengagement.
The document stipulates that each retiring service chief will receive a bulletproof SUV or an equivalent vehicle, to be maintained and replaced every four years by the military.
They are also entitled to a Peugeot 508 or an equivalent backup vehicle.
Beyond the vehicles, the package includes five domestic aides — two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener — along with an aide-de-camp or security officer, and a personal assistant or special assistant.
They will also retain three service drivers, a service orderly, and a standard guard unit comprising nine soldiers.
The benefits extend to free medical treatment both in Nigeria and abroad, as well as the retention of personal firearms to be retrieved upon their demise.
However, while officers of lieutenant-general rank and equivalents are entitled to international and local medical care worth up to $20,000 annually, the benefits for the service chiefs, though not stated in the document, are believed to be considerably higher.
The HTCOS reads, “Retirement benefits for CDS and Service Chiefs: The following benefits shall be applicable: one bulletproof SUV or equivalent vehicle to be maintained by the Service and to be replaced every four years. One Peugeot 508 or equivalent backup vehicle.
‘’Retention of all military uniforms and accoutrement to be worn for appropriate ceremonies; five domestic aides (two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener); one Aide-de-Camp/security officer; one Special Assistant (Lt/Capt or equivalents) or one Personal Assistant (Warrant Officer or equivalents); standard guard (nine soldiers).
“Three service drivers; one service orderly; escorts (to be provided by appropriate military units/formation as the need arises); retention of personal firearms (on his demise, the personal firearm(s) shall be retrieved by the relevant service); and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad.”
However, the policy specifies that such entitlements apply only if the retired officers have not accepted any other appointment funded from public resources — except when such an appointment is made by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In such cases, the officers, according to the document, will only receive allowances commensurate with the new role rather than a full salary.
Retired soldiers protest lavish perks
Reacting, some retired soldiers decried what they described as the luxurious benefits and entitlements reserved for service chiefs and senior military officers.
They lamented that junior personnel continued to suffer neglect and unpaid entitlements despite years of service to the nation.
The retired officers expressed frustration over the disparity in welfare and treatment between senior and junior ranks within the military.
One of the leaders of the discharged soldiers demanding their owed entitlements, Sgt. Zaki Williams, expressed frustration over the entitlements reserved for the service chiefs.
Speaking in an emotional tone, Williams, who claimed to be speaking for more than 700 soldiers in his group, said many retired non-commissioned officers had been abandoned despite dedicating their lives to defending the country.
He said, “I don’t really understand how our people in Nigeria do things. The people at the top always do things to favour only themselves. They don’t care about the poor or the junior ones who sacrificed everything.”
The retired sergeant recalled that government officials had made several promises to improve their welfare, but none had been fulfilled.
“Since the day they made those promises to us, we went back home and didn’t hear anything again. Everything just ended there. We’ve been waiting till now, but nothing has happened,” he added.
Williams said the situation had left many of his colleagues demoralised and divided over whether to continue pressing for their entitlements.
“Some of us said we should protest again, but others refused. We told them that day that we were not going for another protest. If the government wants to help us, they should help us. If not, we’re done,” he said.
He also accused senior military officers of frustrating efforts by the defence ministry to address the concerns of retired personnel.
According to Williams, life after service has been extremely difficult for most of them who retired voluntarily or were discharged without compensation.
“How can someone retire after years of service and still not get their entitlement? Many of us can’t even build a house. The senior officers have houses, cars, and everything good, but the rest of us have nothing,” he said.
He added that the little compensation given to some was not enough to rebuild their lives.
“If they give you N2m today, what can you really start with it in this country? You have children, family, and responsibilities, yet you can’t even afford a plot of land,” he said.
Expressing disappointment, he said most junior officers had lost faith in the system.
“We’ve handed everything over to God,” he said quietly. “We’ve cried and done our best. They promised us, but in the end, it’s still zero. We haven’t seen anything. That’s why many of us are now silent.”
Another retired soldier, Abdul Isiak, lamented that promises made to retired personnel had remained unfulfilled, leaving many struggling to survive.
He said, “All you said they would give to them would be done promptly, and they are more than what we need to sustain our lives. This is very unfair. We have suffered a lot, and they’re yet to give us our entitlements after leaving the service. What is our offence? Is it because we are junior officers?”
The former sergeant said the senior officers continued to enjoy generous retirement packages while lower ranks were denied their due benefits.
“We are preparing for another protest for them to pay us. This is very bad,” he said.
Fresh gale of retirement
It was gathered that a new wave of compulsory retirements might soon hit the Armed Forces following the appointment of the new service chiefs.
Findings revealed that many top officers, including generals, brigadiers-general, air vice marshals, and admirals, across the Nigerian Army, Air Force, and Navy, may be forced to proceed on retirement as part of the reorganisation expected to follow the change in leadership.
According to impeccable military sources, the mass exit is in line with the long-standing military tradition which mandates that senior officers who are higher in rank or course to the newly appointed service chiefs must retire from service.
A senior officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said the development could affect more than 50 Generals across the services.
He said, “It is a tradition in the military that when a junior is appointed as a service chief, those senior to him must proceed on retirement. The idea is that they cannot be expected to take orders from their juniors. More than 50 across the three services will go.”
Another military officer said about 100 officers might resign.
“Only Generals from Course 41 will remain in service. The rest will be compelled to retire. The entire Course 39 and 40 are expected to go. Many of them may not even report to the office again. I’m not sure of the exact number, but it should be close to 100,” the source said.
The newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff is from the 39 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy, while the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff belong to the 40 Regular Course.
This effectively places officers from earlier courses above them in the line of seniority, triggering their exit.
The anticipated shake-up will also open up vacancies across the services, paving the way for promotions and new postings as the military leadership moves to stabilise its command structure.
Bode George, parties divided over Egbetokun
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has waded into the controversy surrounding the president’s decision to retain the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Speaking exclusively with our correspondent, George, a one-time Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, argued that though the President reserved the right to hire and fire his service chiefs, only the creation of state police would address the growing insecurity challenges across the country.
He said, “I don’t know if retaining the IG has some ethnic connotations. There are two evils the British left for us in this country: religious and tribal bigotry. Anything we do in this country, people will see it through the lenses of ethnicity and religion.
“As the Commander-in-Chief, it was his choice to make. One would say the choice of the new service chiefs is evenly spread across the geopolitical zones.”
According to the retired Navy Commodore, the recent changes in the police command hierarchy may have spared Egbetokun the broom that swept other service chiefs away on Friday.
He noted that the trouble with the military was the “obvious lack of professionalism” owing to its incursion into politics some decades ago.
“What almost destroyed the military is its incursion into politics. The oneness we used to enjoy nearly went with the wind. Today, military colleagues often envy one another. In our own time, we didn’t know anything like that. Whoever was next to you was your comrade, your brother. We lost it when we went into politics.
“We must try to retain professionalism in the military. The lack of a solution to insurgency is because we have refused to establish state police. Policing is local. When the state police is established, the boys will be recruited from their localities. They speak the language, know the culture, and know themselves,” he added.
In his contribution, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Mr. Ladipo Johnson, expressed concern over the failure to relieve Egbetokun of his job.
He said, “As a party, we wonder what informed the tenure extension granted to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, by the President when he clocked 60 not long ago. The president has changed his service chiefs, and since the IGP is one of them, we don’t know the reason for his retention. Like other Nigerians, we are watching.”
But the All Progressives Grand Alliance and the Young Progressives Party commended the President for his action, adding that his decision to keep faith in Egbetokun should be respected.
Supporting the president’s resolve to retain the IG, APGA, through its National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, said, “The Commander-in-Chief has access to information that is not at our disposal. I am sure he did it (retention of Egbetokun) in the best interest of the nation.”
His YPP counterpart, Wale Martins, agreed with this position.
He said, “The recent appointment of new service chiefs, in our view, adequately reflects Nigeria’s ethnoreligious and regional diversity. However, we believe that the shake-up in the security architecture should have been more comprehensive. The challenges confronting our national security are systemic and widespread; hence, no arm of the security apparatus should have been exempted from review. Considering that the IGP’s retirement is already long overdue, retaining him raises legitimate concerns about the need for fresh perspectives and renewed energy. Those who have been part of the old order with limited results to show are unlikely to deliver the transformative change Nigerians desire in the security sector.”
