17 years after pardon by Obasanjo, Buhari approves payment of pension to Biafra war veterans

Seventeen years after former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidential pardon, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the payment of pension to soldiers, policemen and paramilitary officers who fought in the Nigerian civil war on the Biafra side.

The veterans had been dismissed from service for their participation in the war which lasted between 1967 and 1970.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Pensions Transition Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) announced that payment will commence on Friday, October 20, in Enugu state.

“The general public would recall that Nigeria witnessed an ugly civil war between July 1967 and January 1970 and as a result of that unfortunate period in our history, some members of the armed forces, the Nigeria police and the paramilitary officers who took part with the secessionist were dismissed from the service,” the statement read.

“The dismissal of those officers was commuted to retirement in year 2000 through a presidential amnesty granted on 29th May, 2000 by the administration of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR.

Read also: Buhari meets S’East govs, Ohanaeze, Senators, others

“A verification exercise was conducted for the pardoned officers by the defunct Police Pension Office and recently PTAD on one hand and the Police Service Commission on the other.

“Despite the presidential pardon and verification of these officers many of them remained unpaid years after the pardon. However, the present administration under the able leadership of president, C-in-C of the armed forces, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has graciously given approval for the payment of pension entitlements to these officers and their next of kin.

“PTAD is commencing the payment of pension benefits to the retired war affected police officers on Friday 20th October, 2017 in Enugu. 162 officers will be payrolled and 57 Next of Kin who have also not been paid their death benefits will be paid in the first batch”.

This development is coming on the back of renewed heightened agitation for Biafra led by the now-proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra. It also follows widespread criticism of the Buhari administration for alleged marginalization of the South-East region of the country, a charge the president had repeatedly denied.

Some may interpret the move as part of effort by Buhari to rebuild strained relations with the South-East region. Recall that only days ago, the president met with leaders from the region, in what was widely viewed as a diplomatic outreach to douse tension and reassure of commitment to the development of the region.

 

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