Ganduje Applauds Military Gallantry In Insurgency Fight

A RETIRED Army Captain, Yusuf Abdulmalik, yesterday advocated outright cancellation of the annual celebration of armed forces Remembrance Day, if the yearly promises of improved welfare for ex-service men could not be ascertain.

Abdulmalik, who is also the Publicity Officer of retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers’ Club of Nigeria (RANAO), spoke on the spotlight of this years’ armed forces remembrance celebration in Kano where he called for immediate probe of annual resources voted in the name of Nigerian Legion.

Meanwhile, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has applauded the gallantry fight of the military against the insurgency, adding that the military is winning the war.

Ganduje, who spoke at the Mallam Kato Square venue of the celebration, posited that the Nigerian armed forces demand praises and prayers, considering the daunting challenges being confronted at the war zone.

Abdulmalik insisted that the annual celebration was a share waste of time and energy, without sincerity of purpose, to change the worse condition of the families of the death heroes and those living, after sacrificing their lives to fight and defend the territorial integrity of the fatherland.

Abdulmalik, who demanded immediate probe of monies donated to Nigerian Legion, accused the managers of the ex-service fund of misappropriation and diversion of the fund.

Abdulmalik, who charged President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfill promise on military pension arrears, said: “We will like to know the position of the outstanding arrears. We appeal to the President as a retired military man to set up committee to restore our 20 per cent deficit as well as review the minimum wage upward.”

He said the lingering military pension arrears saga dated back 2010 when former President Goodluck Jonathan directed implementation of consolidated salary for service men and the failure of Military Pension Board to effect the 53 per cent upward review for retired soldiers.

He said: “After leaving the arrears accumulated for as long as three good years, ignoring the Presidential order, the Military Pension Board, instead of effecting the duly approved 53 per cent, came up with renewed payment of 33 per cent in August 2013 to retired soldiers. We have been asking where is the 20 per cent left.

“Then we kicked against the Federal Government claims that the deductions were meant for housing scheme and tax, since no military pensioners enjoy any housing scheme anywhere in the country, and constitutionally, military pensioners are not mandated to remit any known taxation.”