The Military Pensions Board on Thursday commenced the payment of the owed Security Debarment Allowance to eligible military retirees or Next of Kin of deceased military personnel.
A Security Debarment Allowance is the money paid to retired military personnel to discourage them from using the skills they acquired while in service against the government.
The arrangement to pay ex-servicemen the security debarment allowance, had in October approved by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Nigerian Army headquarters, in Abuja.
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This was disclosed by Army authorities in Lagos, at the Fourth Quarter 2022 Veteran Affairs Directorate Seminar/Workshop held at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, NAFRC Oshodi, Lagos.
Recall that scores of retired military personnel under the aegis of the Retired Members of Nigerian Armed Forces (REMENAF) and the Coalition of Concerned Military Veterans (CCV) besieged the Ministry of Defence in Abuja, protesting the non-payment of their Security Debarment Allowance, among others.
However, the Chairman, Military Pensions Board, Rear Admiral Saburi Lawal, in a statement on Thursday said the board has commenced the payment after an agreement had been reached with the retirees.
Lawal said that the retirees who are on their database and retired before November 9, 2017, would be paid.
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The statement read, ” Sequel to the approval given by the President for the payment of the Security Debarment Allowance to military retirees who originally were not covered by the November 9, 2017, effective date and the agreement reached at the ensuing tripartite meetings of the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Finance and representatives of the Veteran Associations.
“The Military Pensions Board wishes to inform our esteemed military retirees and the general public that the Board has commenced payment of the first and second tranches (that is, for 1st and 2nd Quarters 2023) of the SDA to eligible military retirees/Next of Kins of deceased military personnel.
“The payment, which is in fulfilment of the Presidential approval of the provisions of the reviewed Manual of Financial Administration 2017 will commence on Thursday 5 January 2023.“
“The beneficiaries of these payments are: military retirees on the MPB database who retired before 9 November 2017, deceased military retirees who were alive when the MAFA was signed on 9 November 2017, and non-pensionable retirees who retired before 9 November 2017 but were only paid gratuities.
‘However, our esteemed retirees are please requested to note that the SDA is calculated as a function of 10% of the retiree’s annual basic salary at the time of retirement multiplied by the number of years served in the services. ‘”
Meanwhile, he urged all concerned military pensioners and NOKs of deceased military personnel to contact their banks for their entitlements.