Ex-Airman appeals for implementation of 40% approved pension scale

An ex-Airman, Mohammed Suleiman, has appealed to the Chairman of the Military Pension Board to implement the 40 percent newly approved pension scale.

In a letter of appeal made available to Daily Trust in Kaduna, Suleiman who was discharged as a retiree from the Nigerian Airforce on medical grounds in 2014 with 100 percent disability pension, said he has been receiving 100 percent of his salary as monthly pension as stated in chapter 14 section 22 of the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS).

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He said, “The HTACOS which is for soldiers and ratings allows airmen that have a degree of disability not less than 66 percent to be paid 100 percent of his last salary but when the new payment commenced in January 2019, only eight percent was added to my pension instead of 40 percent.

“I want to appeal to the error which occurred in computing the percentage of my new pension into the 2017 proper harmonization salary structure of 40 percent which has not reflected. My first payment started from 8 percent and I wrote to former chairman, Major General AB Adamu. He responded and approved the adjustment of my pension from the initial 8 percent to 40 percent and also ordered the refund of my arrears of short payment of six months.

“After refund, the board stopped paying with 40 percent and reversed back to 8 percent. Since then, I have been writing and calling for the implementation of 40 percent and refund of the under payment from July 2019 till date.”

He added, “From November 2020, I started receiving 22 percent instead of 40 percent and they are yet to refund the short payment of arrears from July 2019 till date which is about 21 months plus 14 months short payment arrears in total, which is 35 months.”