Unpaid Allowances: Retired Naval Officers Seek Tinubu’s Intervention

Some retired naval officers have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, to pay their terminal leave and terminal packing allowances.
The retired officers lamented non-payment of their terminal and packing leave allowances duly accrued to them.

In the letter signed by the Secretary of the Coalition of Concerned Veterans, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, the officers described the development as “injustice meted out on the concerned retirees of the Nigerian Navy”.

The letter specifically said officers and ratings who retired from the Nigerian Navy on June 24, 2019, have not been considered by the leadership of the Nigerian Navy despite a series of letters of appeal to the Naval Chief since their time of retirement.

Durowaiye-Herberts, in the letter obtained by LEADERSHIP in Abuja, argued that the former Chief of Account and Budget, Rear Admiral KM Bushi, already told them that the concerned retirees were entitled to be paid their allowances according to the Manual of Financial Administration (MAFA).

According to him, Bushi agreed with the submission of Commander Central Pay Office, who actually collated the entitlements as stated in the MAFA since the officers and ratings were still in active service when the MAFA was signed.

Durowaiye-Herberts alleged that Bushi, however, misled the then CNS not to approve the applications brought by the complainants because, according to him, the MAFA was not funded until 2020. As such, their claims are an issue of arrears, and the CNS should not entertain them.

He added, “It is to be noted that the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) as well as the Pension and Gratuity paid by DHQ and MPB respectively to the same retirees about 2 months after their retirement in June 2019, were calculated based on Reference B.

“If these payments were duly paid as stated, why should the Navy disobey the authority of the C-in-C by refusing to pay the due entitlements as contained in the MAFA?

“Therefore, the claims by Rear Admiral KM Bushi that the MAFA was not funded until 2020 cannot be true judging from the above payments. This is mere negligence of duty by the former CAB for not including it in the Navy budget 2019 if his claims are valid.

“Furthermore, if the assertion of the very senior officer is to be taken seriously, what stops him from including it in the 2020 budget even if it was arrears, after all, he admitted that the MAFA covered the concerned retirees since it was signed on 26 January 2018 with an effective date of 9 November, 2017 while the officers and ratings retired on 24 June 2019.

“Therefore, the action of the very senior officer shows an intentional attempt to deny the retirees their due entitlements. All efforts made by serving and retired very senior officers then, including past CABs that advised Rear Admiral K.M. Bushi that the retirees are entitled to the payment did not see the light of the day.

“Looking at the stern position of the very senior officer, it seems the money was actually budgeted for in 2019, but might have been misappropriated as nothing stops him to have included it in one of the subsequent year’s budget till he handed over in June 2023.”

He threatened that the concerned retirees wouldn’t hesitate to besiege naval headquarters if their allowances were not paid on time, saying their patience was already running out.

“Our patience is running out, and the least the Navy would do is to kill all of us by the time we occupy its Headquarters to demand our rights and entitlement, while the general public and the world will judge if our demands are legitimate or not.

“At that time, it will be a case of no retreat, no surrender, and no matter how long it will take us to fight this injustice,” he stated.

When contacted, the Nigerian Navy’s spokesman, Air Commodore Aiwuyo Adams-Aliu, said the issue had lingered long before the current naval chief assumed office.
However, he said that the issue was being investigated and that it would be addressed accordingly.

“So, findings reveal that this issue has been ongoing and originated long before the present Chief of the Naval Staff assumed Command of the Nigerian Navy. Similarly, it originated long before the present Chief of Accounts & Budget was appointed. Nevertheless, the issues are being treated officially and will be addressed accordingly,” he said.