‘Military Pension Board Chairman Sacked After Clash With Retired Officers’

The Chairman of the Military Pension Board, Air Vice Marshal Mikail Abdulraheem, has reportedly been removed from his position following a heated dispute between the board and retired military officers over their pension payments.

The decision came barely a week after protesting veterans clashed with the board’s management over alleged errors in the calculation of their pensions and other entitlements, Naija News reports.

Sources familiar with the development told Daily Trust that the incident was viewed as an embarrassment to the military high command and President Bola Tinubu, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The disagreement reached its peak last Tuesday when a meeting between the board’s management and the retired officers ended in a shouting match and failed to produce an agreement.

The meeting followed a protest by retired military personnel, who blocked the main entrance to the board’s headquarters over what they described as incorrect calculations of their pension payments and other benefits.

The protesters, led by retired Lieutenant-Colonel Innocent Azubuike, arrived at the headquarters around 8:30 a.m. and called on President Tinubu to intervene.

They accused the board of creating unnecessary differences in pension structures and payments, insisting that their concerns needed to be addressed.

However, efforts to resolve the disagreement reportedly failed in the days following the meeting.

A source told journalists that the development had also embarrassed the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), and the Chief of Defence Staff.

Findings on Wednesday (today) indicated that Abdulraheem had been directed to step aside and hand over to another officer who would take charge of the board.

A senior military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told newsmen that the handover was expected to take place on Wednesday.

“That last week protest by the veterans really embarrassed the Presidency and the military. I think that is the reason the Chairman is being asked to step aside,” the source said.