The Ministry of Defense is seeking a budget of N49.57 million in the proposed 2024 budget to establish a comprehensive databank for veterans.
This initiative follows a directive issued approximately 15 years ago by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, urging the Ministry of Defense to expedite the creation of a data bank for retired and retiring military personnel. The primary aim of this database is to address challenges related to pension and gratuity payments for ex-servicemen and women in the country.
President Yar’Adua made this crucial call during the launch of the 2008 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem in Abuja, underscoring the significance of prioritizing the welfare of military personnel who have served the nation.
In a bid to improve welfare packages, former Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Oladayo Amao took a significant step in July 2021 by approving the immediate establishment of a Directorate of Veterans Affairs to cater to the needs of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) veterans and their families.
During Armed Forces Remembrance Day in November 2023, military veterans voiced their concerns, highlighting the challenges faced by some members who had yet to receive pensions or benefits even decades after the end of the Nigerian Civil War.
Assuring veterans of the Federal Government’s commitment to enhanced welfare, Minister of Defense Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, in a meeting with the Executives of the Veteran Association of Nigeria, stated that the government is working on an all-inclusive structure for the welfare of veterans and their families.
In addition to the budget for the veterans’ database, the Ministry of Defense’s total expenditure budget stands at N78.52 billion, with allocations for personnel costs, hospital and health center repairs, barracks maintenance, office building renovations, landmine demining, military cemetery renovations, and various upgrades and inspections across Nigerian Army facilities and accommodations.
