Retired military personnel who are being owed the Security Debarment Allowance have written to the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, to notify her of their plans to picket her ministry.
The PUNCH reports that a Security Debarment Allowance is the money paid to retired military personnel to discourage them from using the skills they acquired while in service against the government.
Last year, the veterans launched a national protest against the non-payment of the allowance, under the auspices of the Coalition of Concerned Military Veterans.
In January 2022, they picketed the Ministry of Finance but suspended their action after assurances from the Minister of Defense, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd.), and the permanent secretary of the finance ministry.
The ex-servicemen also resumed their protest over shutting down activities at the Ministry of Defence in September.
However, a letter dated December 5, which was obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday, accused the ministry of failing to release the fund for the payment of their allowance despite the president’s approval.
The letter signed by its spokesman, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, had the acknowledged stamps of both the permanent secretary as well as that of the office of the minister.
It was titled, “Re: Payment of veterans’ security debarment allowance as approved by the president.”
The letter partly read, “As a reminder, we wish to refer you to our letter dated November 29, 2022, on the above subject matter.
“We also wish to reiterate that, while we sincerely wish to stand by your ministry’s earlier assurances to pay the first tranche of the SDA before the end of the year 2022, we may be unable to prevent our members from completely shutting down your ministry’s activities in a peaceful protest starting Monday, December 12, 2022, if you default on the payment.”
“We hope that your ministry will do all that is possible for the commencement of the payment to avert this protest, as it will not portray the country well. Please accept the assurances of our highest regards.”
