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President Buhari Approves Allowance For Retired Soldiers

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, approved the payment of exclusion allowance for retired military personnel.

The development is coming following protests by the army veterans, Naija News understands.

It could be recalled that the retired soldiers under the aegis of the Coalition of Concerned Veterans, had in early January this year, embarked on a nationwide protest, with a threat to disrupt the celebration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day on January 15.

The veterans, however, later suspended the protest following the intervention of the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd.).

After three months of waiting, the retired military personnel again threatened to resume their suspended protest in April, Naija News reports.

They bemoaned the inability of the Federal Government to meet their demand.

Speaking, however, during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr Ibrahim Kana, said the President had approved payment of the allowance.

According to him, President Buhari has approved for reform of the Ministry of Defence into our own Pentagon.

In this case, they will be the deployment of senior military officers working alongside civilian staff,” Kana said.

He added: “We will not be directly involved in Operations but we will handle the policy aspect of the Ministry of Defence to ensure the best for our troops.

“The president has approved the establishment of the veteran’s services department in the ministry for retired soldiers.

“Recently, the President unanimously approved the debarment allowance for all veterans. For the veterans, I think better days are ahead”.

Kana also said the Ministry of Defense was undergoing a reform to take the shape of the Pentagon.

He said, “We are also reforming our health services to see to the well-being of personnel. Therefore, we are reforming our health services department to provide quality health service to our personnel.

“We are also reforming education, we are going to reform education in the command and secondary schools. Armed personnel have children and they have to go to school and that is our responsibility”.

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