Retired military officers of Ekiti State origin, who voluntarily retired from the Nigerian Army after prosecuting the civil war of 1967 -1970, have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue them from poverty and untimely death by ordering the immediate payment of their pension.
The officers expressed regret that over 60 out of the 240 members had died due to poor medical conditions with over 70 suffering from severe ailments.
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Addressing newsmen in Ado Ekiti yesterday, their Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Bello Oseni, urged President Buhari to honour his 2015 pledge to extend payment of pension to all retired officers that partook in the Civil War.
“We commend President Muhammadu Buhari for remembering us after four decades of neglect, but we appeal that this pledge should be implemented in due course.
“We started this struggle with 240 members, today we are 180 with about 70 nursing severe ailments.
“We were at the battlefield for over three years. We fought for the unity of this nation. We kept Nigeria one and we deserved to be taken care of.
“We have no regret serving our fatherland, but we are surprised that those who fought for the nation and rescued it from disintegration could be treated this way. Helping us at this stage will send a signal of patriotism to Nigerians because all we did was out of patriotic spirit,” he said.
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