Nigerian Armed Forces Veterans call for Ministry of Veteran Affairs

The Nigerian Armed Forces Veterans are advocating the creation of a Ministry of Veteran Affairs to address the needs of retired military personnel.

The decision was reached during a stakeholders’ forum at the War College, Abuja, themed, “The Nigerian Armed Forces Veterans in the Next Decade”.

Director of Veterans Affairs, Defence Headquarters Major General Ibrahim Salihu emphasised the need for the veterans to regularly converge in order to proffer solutions to their challenges rather than waiting for other stakeholders to make decisions for them.

Major General Salihu admonished the veterans to ensure they work in tandem with the Nigerian Legion which is the umbrella body for veterans existing by the act of the federal government.

National Chairman, Nigerian Legion, retired Major General Abdulmalik Jibrin said the organisation struggled with the paucity of funds, depriving it from catering to the needs of veterans, their widows and children.

He noted that most funds gotten by the Legion was obtained during the annual emblem, but decried that a bulk of the pledges made to the retirees remained unredeemed.

The Chairman advocated for an all-inclusive healthcare for veterans in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and continuous adjustments of pension to enable the retirees meet up with inflation rates.

Veterans Chief Mission Director, Embassy of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Missions, Dr Chiemele Eze described a Ministry for Veteran Affairs as an innovative solution that would also cater for the healthcare of the retirees.

He emphasised the need to have health policies in place for the veterans to focus on health care, rehabilitation and trauma management which would enable their full reintegration in the society.

Another major recommendation from the conference was that veterans should be active in politics in order to champion initiatives for current and potential veterans