The new Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB), Major General Julius Ehioze Osifo, has pledged to address delays in the payment of pensions, gratuities, death benefits, and arrears owed to retired military personnel and families of deceased servicemen.

Osifo, who made the pledge on Wednesday during his assumption of office in Abuja, said he would reposition the board to ensure that veterans and the next-of-kin of fallen personnel received their entitlements promptly, with fewer bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Osifo succeeds Air Vice Marshal Mikhail Abdulraheem, who, in his handing-over remarks, thanked officers, soldiers and civilian staff of the board for their cooperation during his tenure.

He said the board would deploy technology, strengthen coordination with the military services and relevant government agencies, and improve the processing of benefits to ensure that only legitimate beneficiaries received payments.

The new chairman’s pledge comes amid renewed protests by retired military personnel over pension adjustments and outstanding entitlements, including demonstrations in Abuja over delays in implementing increases linked to salary adjustments for serving military personnel.

On October 13, military veterans protested at the entrance to the Military Pensions Board office in Kubwa, Abuja, over the formula adopted for adjusting their pensions.

The protest followed an earlier demonstration at the Ministry of Defence in August, when retirees demanded payment of arrears exceeding 12 months and the implementation of consequential pension adjustments following salary increases for serving personnel.

The protesters alleged that the pension adjustment formula had short-changed some retirees, while insisting that their pensions should reflect the salary increases approved for serving military personnel.

Retired military personnel had also staged protests at the Federal Ministry of Finance in 2025 over outstanding gratuities, the Security Debarment Allowance, parking allowances and other benefits.

Some also demanded refunds of pension deductions from medically discharged soldiers and payment of outstanding palliatives and pension adjustments.

Addressing the challenges confronting the board, Osifo said his experience in military operations had reinforced the need for efficient administration of benefits, particularly for families of personnel killed in action.

He said delays in paying death benefits could undermine the sacrifices of fallen soldiers, dishonour their memories and affect the morale of personnel still serving in combat operations.

“My experiences from the operations further re-emphasizes the urgent need for the design and implementation of an effective strategy for the payment of entitled emoluments to our gallant soldiers and to families of those who paid the supreme sacrifice.

“No doubt, troops in active service, veterans and the families of the fallen deserve dignity, empathy and prompt administration of their entitled benefits.

“To this extent, my mission statement will be anchored on leading a Board that will prioritize all ways and means to ensure payments are prompt, accessed with seamless ease, less cumbersome, less beaucratic but with an overriding commitment to ensuring only the rightful recipients get their due entitlements.

“I assure you that under my watch as Chairman-MPB our veterans and family members of deceased personnel will have cause to smile”, he said.

Osifo, who was the pioneer Chief of J8 at the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, in Maiduguri, identified the Defence Headquarters, service headquarters, the Ministry of Defence, the National Assembly committees on defence, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance as key stakeholders whose cooperation would be required to achieve the board’s objectives.

He also pledged to improve the capacity and motivation of the board’s military and civilian personnel, saying an efficient workforce was essential to delivering better services to pensioners.

On his part, the outgoing chairman, Abdulraheem urged the personnel to extend the same support to his successor, stressing that the board’s mandate required teamwork and a sustained commitment to the welfare of military pensioners and their next-of-kin.

Osifo becomes the 26th officer to lead the institution, which began in 1974 as the Directorate of Military Pensions before being restructured and renamed the Military Pensions Board in 2003.

The new chairman, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Nigerian Defence Academy and a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Jos, also holds a PhD in Finance from the Swiss Management University, Switzerland.

Before his appointment, he served as Director-General of the Nigerian Army Finance Corporation and had previously held several finance, instructional and command appointments, including Deputy Director of Accounts at the Military Pensions Board in 2018.