Military replaces pension board chair amid faceoff with veterans

Barely one week after intense disagreement between the management of the Military Pension Board and the retired officers of the Armed Forces, the Chairman of the Board has been replaced, Daily Trust can confirm.

Sources familiar with the development revealed that last faceoff with the veterans was described as an “embarrassment” to the military high command and the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief.

Daily Trust reports that last week Tuesday, the faceoff between both parties reached crescendo when a shouting match ensued during a meeting that was later deadlocked.

The meeting came after the protesting retired officers had shut the main gate of the Board’s headquarters over what they described as wrong computation of their take-home and other entitlements.

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The protesters, led by a retired Lieutenant-Colonel, Innocent Azubuike, arrived in their numbers as early as 8:30am, while calling on the President to intervene in the matter.

They said their action became imperative after it was observed that the Board was trying to create unnecessary disparities in the pension structures and payments.

Days after the faceoff, both parties couldn’t reach a common ground – the development a source said it also embarrassed the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (Rtd) and the Chief of Defence Staff.

However, findings by our correspondent on Wednesday revealed that Mikail Abdulraheem, an Air Vice Marshal in the Nigerian Air Force, has been removed by the authorities over the incident.

A senior officer within the military, who did not want his name in print, confided in Daily Trust that AVM Abdulraheem would step aside and hand over today (Wednesday) to another person who will continue to pilot the affairs of the Board.

“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”, a highly-placed source told our Correspondent.

The spokesman of the Board, Aliyu Mohammed, a Squadron Leader, couldn’t be reached for official comments on the reasons the chairman was asked to step aside as at when filing this report.