News
20 Governors Borrow Fresh N446bn As Revenues Tumble

Debt servicing costs incurred by 29 state governments consumed 80.7 per cent of their Internally Generated Revenue during the first six months of 2024, highlighting the significant financial burden the sub-nationals currently face, according to The PUNCH.
The dire situation also forced the governors to borrow a total sum of N446.29 billion within the same period despite a 40 per cent increase in its statutory allocation from the Federation Account.
The latest information is according to an analysis of data obtained by our correspondent using the budget implementation reports from each state’s website and Open Nigerian States. This BudgIT-backed website serves as a repository of government budget data.
The performance report is prepared quarterly and issued within four weeks from the end of each quarter.
This heavy burden underscores a critical issue in fiscal management, as the vast majority of the revenue that states could otherwise allocate to essential public services and development projects is being diverted to meet debt obligations.
It also reveals the severe constraints faced by state governments in managing their debt burdens inherited from previous administrations and addressing the needs of their residents.
Nigerians had hoped that with an increased statutory allocation of 40 per cent from the central government, state governors should have more than enough to fulfill their statutory obligations.
In 2023, state governors got the most FAAC allocations in at least seven years. The rise in FAAC allocations to the three tiers of government, especially states followed the petrol subsidy removal and currency reforms of the current administration.
The reforms have reportedly led to a 40 per cent boost in income. Experts believe the revenue increase should have reduced state governments’ appetite for more borrowing.
Instead, the sub nationals are spending a large chunk on repaying loans and taking more loans.
Recall report earlier had it that most of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee funds for Osun, Ondo, Kaduna, and Cross Rivers states will be used in servicing debts this year.
This is because these states currently have a deficit of N10.94bn, N27.72bn, N15.83bn, N10.02bn respectively following debt servicing deductions by FAAC.
With such a large portion of revenue being used to service debt, it becomes increasingly challenging for states to achieve long-term economic stability and improve the quality of life for their residents.
Earlier this year, Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani had complained vehemently about the huge debt burden inherited from previous administrations, lamenting that it had stopped the prompt payment of salaries and more borrowings in the last nine months of his government.
The governor who made this known while addressing a Town Hall Meeting at the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall, stated that his administration inherited a total of $587m, N85bn, and 115 contract liabilities.
READ ALSO: FG, States, LGs Shared N1.2tn In August – FAAC
He said, “Despite the huge debt burden of $587m, N85bn, and 115 contractual liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development. We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly.”
The PUNCH had reported that state governors faced an uphill task of stimulating the economies of their respective states after they inherited at least N2.1tn in domestic debts and $1.9bn in external debts from their predecessors.
This was as 22 states spent a total sum of N251.79bn to service debt borrowed by past administrations within nine months of assuming office (July 2023 and March 2024).
The situation also forced the state governments of Ekiti, Cross River, and Ogun to propose a suspension of their foreign debt repayments worth $501m due to severe foreign exchange volatility.
The request, though rejected by FAAC, was part of their efforts to mitigate the heightened debt service burdens, which state officials claimed has significantly hampered their ability to service existing debts.
Experts say the high debt servicing costs leave little room for investment in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other key areas vital for economic growth and social welfare.
Meanwhile, an analysis of the budget implementation report showed that Akwa-Ibom, Borno, Cross Rivers, Edo, Katsina, and Niger spent between 60 and 80 per cent of their internally generated revenue to repay owed debts.
Also, states as Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Jigawa, Enugu, Kebbi, Kwara, Ondo, Osun Zamfara, and Oyo disbursed between 13 and 58 per cent of their revenue for debt servicing
While the amount spent on debt servicing for nine states including Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Imo, Kano, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba, and Yobe exceeded their revenue within the period.
Data for Benue, Nasarawa, Ogun, Rivers, Sokoto, and Kaduna states were not available when this report was filed. Only Lagos State recorded an impressive IGR of N603.71bn while it paid N201.49bn as debt charges.
A state-by-state breakdown indicated that Abia State under the leadership of Governor Alex Otti spent N4.83bn on servicing its debt, while it earned N15.6bn as revenue, representing a ratio of 31 per cent.
Adamawa spent N14.48bn on its debt but earned N5.75bn, recording a deficit of minus 252 per cent, Akwa-Ibom state spent N20.78bn on its servicing but got N31.74bn IGR indicating 65.4 per cent ratio.
Anambra serviced its debt with N4.8bn but got N18.61bn IGR at a ratio of 25.9 per cent. Bauchi got a debt service ratio of minus 42.9 per cent after it earned N3.92bn but spent N16.8bn on servicing. Bayelsa spent N17.84bn on servicing but earned N46.98bn as revenue, indicating a servicing ratio of 38 per cent.
Further analysis of the report indicated Borno spent N7.25bn on debt charges and earned N12.04bn, representing a ratio of 60.2 per cent, Cross Rivers had a debt service ratio of 60.7 per cent after it spent N12.05bn on loans and got N19.86bn IGR.
READ ALSO: 22 States Spent N251bn On Debt Servicing In Nine Months – Report
Delta State’s burden was 58.2 per cent after it spent N39.08bn on reducing its debt and earned N67.05bn within the review period. Ebonyi had a 48.6 per cent debt ratio due to its N5.05bn spending on debt and N10.39bn revenue collection. Edo State under the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki spent N22.66bn on servicing and collected N34.44bn as revenue, indicating a debt ratio of 65.8 per cent.
Ekiti had a debt service ratio of 47.9 per cent after it spent N7.85bn on loans and got N16.39bn IGR. Enugu spent N3.49bn on its debt but earned N16.39bn, indicating a 20.6 per cent ratio. Gombe spent N13.07bn on its debt but earned N9.6bn, recording a deficit of minus 136 per cent. Imo State also recorded a deficit of minus 1.10 per cent after it spent N10.68bn on servicing but got N9.69bn as revenue.
Also, Jigawa State spent N1.89bn on servicing while it earned N4.55bn as revenue, representing a ratio of 41.6 per cent. Kano recorded a deficit of minus 244.4 per cent due to N60.02bn expense on debt but collected N24.57bn as revenue.
Katsina had a 77.4 per cent debt ratio due to its N8.14bn spending on debt and N10.51bn revenue collection. Kebbi spent N1.99bn on its loan servicing while it earned N4.79bn as revenue, representing a ratio of 41.6 per cent. Kwara State recorded the lowest debt-to-revenue ratio of 13.9 per cent, and spent N4.87bn on debt charges but collected N35.1bn as revenue.
Kogi spent N12.79bn on servicing and collected N12.75bn as revenue, indicating a debt ratio of minus 1.06 per cent. Niger State recorded a debt ratio of 80.7 per cent due to debt charges of N11.88bn and revenue collection of N14.73bn.
Ondo State recorded a debt to revenue of 52.4 per cent, Osun (43.2 per cent), Oyo (57.2 per cent). Plateau State recorded the highest debt-to-revenue ratio of minus 550.76 per cent, spending N61.23bn on debt charges but collected N11.11bn as revenue. Taraba and Yobe states recorded a deficit of minus 283.5 per cent and 1.16 per cent respectively.
Experts have, however, attributed the significant increase in debt servicing cost partly to the devaluation of the naira, which drove up the cost of servicing foreign debt obligations as the nation grapples with the forex liquidity crisis and exchange rate volatility.
The Director/CEO of the Centre for Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, speaking in an exclusive interview on Sunday, stated that the significant debt servicing cost was adversely impacted by the depreciation of the naira, which caused a decline in its value relative to other currencies.
He noted that the enormous debt burden inherited by the current administration is also straining state finances and impacting its ability to meet major obligations.
Mr Muda said, “The point is that these states inherited a huge burden of debts. The figure mentioned may sound outrageous but is not much when calculated in dollar terms. Multilateral debts are also tied to infrastructural projects and developmental purposes. Borrowing is not in itself bad if it is used for developmental purposes but the burden of debt must not suffocate the state finances and affect its ability to fulfill major obligations.
“Also, those debts are foreign and once the naira depreciates, it affects the level of debt. As they struggle to service it, the level is still going up because of the exchange rate depreciation. With the depreciation of the currency, the burden of servicing those loans has become extremely very heavy. The exchange rate factor is a major challenge in the debt burden of many states.”
READ ALSO: FG Eyes $4.4bn New Loans As Debt Hits N101tn
Government spending has come under increased scrutiny in recent times, particularly in light of the country’s worsening economic challenges.
At different fora, financial experts have also raised concerns about states’ spending on recurrent expenditure, highlighting the need to embrace financial innovations.
A professor of Economics at Babcock University, Segun Ajibola, stated that the enduring problem of high governance expenses had persisted at the state level, with inadequate oversight and accountability resulting in minimal economic benefits for grassroots citizens.
Ajibola, a former president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, lamented that state assemblies had also abandoned their oversight duties, leaving the state governors to operate with no iota of transparency and accountability.
He said, “The first issue is the perennial complaint about the high cost of governance in Nigeria and at all levels. When you look at these issues, attention is often concentrated on the Federal Government, so the searchlight is always more on the central government. Most often, nobody cares about what is happening in the states and local government, and that is where the problem is.
“There are so many institutional frameworks in place to look at what is happening at the federal level but who cares about the states? The cost of governance in relative terms is even much higher in states than the federal and that is why you hardly feel the impact of governance in most states.
“Only a few states can boost a significant presence in the lives of their people in our states. The state assemblies are expected to conduct oversight functions on the activities of the executives in their respective states, but in reality, how many states are doing that, leaving the executives to be all in all incurring high costs.”
Meanwhile, 20 state governments borrowed a total sum of N446.29bn collectively to address their budget deficits and to cover various expenses, including essential services, infrastructure projects, and operational costs.
The PUNCH findings also revealed that the majority of these loans were sourced from multilateral and international creditors, contrary to the Federal Government’s emphasis on borrowing from the domestic market.
Further analysis showed that Cross Rivers State was among the states that got the highest loan of N121.22bn between January and June. It was followed by Oyo State with N55.36bn loans. Third on the list is Kogi State with loans worth N41.22bn.
Katsina State also obtained loans worth N34.09bn from creditors within the quarter.
Other states including Niger got N34.03bn, Gombe (N32.38bn), Ondo (N20,82bn), Borno (N20.7bn), Bauchi (N19.28bn), Taraba (N20.23bn), Yobe (N10.17bn), Kwara (N10.06bn), Ekiti (N7.94bn), Ebonyi (N6.43bn), Kano (N6.15bn), Abia (N3.37bn), Enugu (N1.39bn).
The states with the least borrowing include Edo (N633.73m), Osun (N250m), and Plateau state with N530.86m loan.
PUNCH
News
Why We Expanded Presidential Amnesty Scholarship Scheme — Otuaro

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has expressed his unwavering commitment to ensuring that more indigent students and communities of the Niger Delta benefit from the PAP scholarship scheme.
He stated this while explaining what informed his decision to expand the scheme and increase formal education opportunities for poor students, and to build a huge manpower base in the region.
A statement issued by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to the PAP boss said Otuaro spoke during an interactive session in London on Saturday with the beneficiaries of the scholarship initiative deployed for undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in universities across the United Kingdom.
The engagement, which was at the instance of the PAP boss, provided an opportunity for the Office and the scholarship students to discuss issues pertaining to their welfare and challenges with a view to addressing them.
READ ALSO:PAP Seeks NCC Partnership On Beneficiaries’ Empowerment
Otuaro said that while in-country scholarship deployment was 3800 in the 2024/2025 academic year, the figure increased to 3900 in the 2025/2026 and foreign scholarships were about 200.
He attributed the increase in deployment to the massive support of President Bola Tinubu and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Otuaro stressed that he was greatly encouraged by the President and the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and that he knows how impressed both of them are concerning the PAP initiatives, which align with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He reiterated his call on the students to justify the huge investment in their education by the Federal Government by studying hard to make good grades.
He also urged them to conduct themselves and be responsible ambassadors of Nigeria while in the U.K, stressing that “you will be adding value to your families and communities when you complete your programmes successfully.”
READ ALSO:UK High Commissioner Concludes Anambra Visit, Urges Transparent Election
The PAP helmsman said, “We want the scholarship programme to impact more students and communities in the Niger Delta. That’s why we have expanded it and increased formal education opportunities.
“We want you to take this opportunity very seriously so that the government, too, will be encouraged. I know how much support His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu GCFR, gives to the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“Mr President and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, are very impressed with what we are doing. On your behalf I would like to, once again , thank His Excellency and the NSA for giving you this life-changing opportunity. We are confident that Mr President and the NSA will continue to support us.
“The knowledge you are receiving in your institutions today is to enable you plan yourself and prepare for the future. Whatever knowledge you gain cannot be taken from you.
“So as PAP scholarship students, we expect responsible and good behaviour from you. Government is investing heavily in you and you have the obligation to justify the investment. Be agents of change and avoid acts of mischief while in the U.K.”
News
OPINION: A ‘Crazy’ African Nation, Where Citizens Eat And Drink Football

By Tony Erha
It was in October, a semi-summer-month and twilight of the year that ushers in the chilling and extreme winter. A nonagenarian woman gave me a friendly smile that revealed cheeky dimples. As I bowed respectfully to her ripened age, she offered a leathery hand for a handshake, which I received warmly, returning her infectious smile. For a youth who prays for longevity shouldn’t deprive the elderly of the walking stick. I had helped her, carrying a furred handbag to our seats on a night-long intercity bus, from Istanbul to Ankara, in Turkey, the Balkan nation, where we stopped over, in year 2004.
She spoke Turkish rapidly, whilst I retorted in a passable and incoherent Turkish language that ‘I don’t speak the official language of the only country of the world that is located on two continents; Europe and Asia. “You American?” She asked in English. It was obvious that my jeans, necklace and a fez cap that I upturned, in the manner of the Yankees, might have portrayed me as one. “No. I am a Nigerian”, I said, dragging the words. “You Nee-jay-rian!” she exclaimed, whilst I nodded confidently. Then she was elated; “Okocha Jay-Jay!” She spoke to others in the bus that clapped and hailed. I wondered why a 91 years-old-woman, was so passionate about football and one of its heroes, as if she was a youth.
At her request, an old video of a football match showed the mesmerising display of Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, viewed on a television set affixed to the bus. There were instantaneous excitement and catcalls each time Okocha, the great football ‘talisman’ from Nigeria, did his ball flips and dribble-runs that displaced his opponents, earning him one of the few (if not the greatest) football entertainers in football’s history. It was as if the video tape, recorded in his notable plays in Besiktas, a Turkish club side, was a live match. So great was Okocha’s global fame that the old woman relived again; “Jay Jay Okocha is a dangerous footballer, who’s full of tricks on the field of play. The only trick he didn’t do with the ball from his bag of football artistry was to play on top the swimming pool”. In Mustafa Ataturk’s nation, footballers of Nigeria’s decent had and still make their soccer very eventful.
MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Oshiomhole In A Fight Between The Elephant And The Pit
Victor Osimhen, the leggy playmaker and striker with a dye-hair like the white mushroom head, who recently renewed his contract with Galatasaray, a Turkish top team, is also a Nigerian, who has received the applause in the peninsula country and across the globe like Jay Jay Okocha. Candidly, Oshimen, the goal mechine, who is a tonic to the Turks and football fans across the world, also does the unimaginative with the round leather, but certainly not with the same fascinating skills of Jay Jay! But the Turkish fans are readily tilted to football fanaticism.

Victor Osimhen
If it’s ‘fanatic-fans’ in Turkish football, it’s certainly ‘supporters hooliganism’ in the United Kingdom (UK), where association soccer (football) was founded in 1863, with similar kicking games played in Greece, China and Rome since 2,000 years. In UK, football is played with fanfares, pool betting and media vuvuzela. English soccer is a gainful entertainment industry raking in huge gate fees from plays, promotions, television and media razzmatazz, which is often imitated in Nigeria, with passions and ‘occult’ following. So worrisome was the ‘social hype and lawlessness’ youths and others attach to English soccer that security operatives have constant migraine fighting soccer addiction and frequent street brawls.
Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Dan Amokachi, Taribo West and other Nigerian stars, that once dominated and currently rule other foreign clubs, opened the floodlight of extremist football following into the country. Once upon a time, the then Prince Charles (now the king of England), was spotted (with young boys) playing the game, inside the Buckingham Palace, all wearing jersey number ’10’ with Jay Jay Okocha’s name inscribed). That the number-one-global-royalty adored soccer by wearing the jersey of a footballer from a third-world African nation, somewhat illustrates that which is often said about soccer being more than a mere sport. ‘Football Tripper’, a British online news porter, describes soccer as “oxygen” to numerous men and women. In Brazil, the South American nation, there is a deity called “Soccer”, as well as it’s a vivacious Reggae, a unique music genre in Jamaica.
MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: ‘Ikhueki’, Benin Market Women Are At War!
Still, it is food and sups in Nigeria. In this Africa’s most populous nation, with plentiful viewing centres and liquor spots, there are live television football tournaments and soccer video games, with consumable food, alcoholics, carbonated drinks and some ‘unlawful substances’ that are at the behest of business owners and ‘intoxicated’ fans.
In what soccer dramatics came to know as ‘the Dammam Miracle’, viewing centres, beer parlours and restaurants were instantly sold out in the country, in 1989, after ‘footbocrazy’ Nigerians, stormed the streets in prolonged wild celebrations. For the Nigerian U-20 football team, at the FIFA World Youth Championship, held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, came back from a four-goal deficit to level up and defeat the Russian counterpart, making the Nigerian team the first to come back from a semi-final to win a FIFA tournament. Soccer, indeed, is a crazy sport in Nigeria. Once upon a time, a man had shattered the screen of his expensive television, because Austin Jay Jay Okocha, his favourite star, had lost a penalty in a continental match!
It’s said that football, especially when the Nigerian national teams of men and woman play, tends to unite Nigerians than other national blights that turn them apart. Now, the current national fanaticism is for the Victor Osimhen-inspired Super Eagles, to qualify for the 2026 World Cup gala, even though it has to go the extra obstacles of playing more legs, whereas the team had frittered the early opportunities to qualify.
And sensing that most Nigerians care less of the economic woes that plagued them, but for the football fad, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the nation’s President, would cash-in to feed their ago awarding huge cash to high profile football tournaments and wins, like he recently accorded the Super Falcons, the female national team, for achieving a similitude of the Dammam miracle, to bring home a coveted African Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy!
News
Ex-soldiers Fume Over Lifetime Benefits For Sacked Service Chiefs

The sacked Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and two other service chiefs, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, are set to receive generous retirement benefits.
The benefits include bulletproof vehicles, domestic aides, and lifetime medical care.
Their exit follows President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of new service chiefs on Friday.
General Olufemi Oluyede has been named the new Chief of Defence Staff, while Major-General W. Shaibu takes over as Chief of Army Staff.
Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke becomes the new Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas the Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retains his position.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said in a statement on Friday that the removal of the service chiefs was in furtherance of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture.
According to the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, signed by President Tinubu on December 14, 2024, the service chiefs are entitled to substantial retirement packages upon disengagement.
The document stipulates that each retiring service chief will receive a bulletproof SUV or an equivalent vehicle, to be maintained and replaced every four years by the military.
They are also entitled to a Peugeot 508 or an equivalent backup vehicle.
Beyond the vehicles, the package includes five domestic aides — two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener — along with an aide-de-camp or security officer, and a personal assistant or special assistant.
They will also retain three service drivers, a service orderly, and a standard guard unit comprising nine soldiers.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Sacks CDS Musa, Names New Army Boss
The benefits extend to free medical treatment both in Nigeria and abroad, as well as the retention of personal firearms to be retrieved upon their demise.
However, while officers of lieutenant-general rank and equivalents are entitled to international and local medical care worth up to $20,000 annually, the benefits for the service chiefs, though not stated in the document, are believed to be considerably higher.
The HTCOS reads, “Retirement benefits for CDS and Service Chiefs: The following benefits shall be applicable: one bulletproof SUV or equivalent vehicle to be maintained by the Service and to be replaced every four years. One Peugeot 508 or equivalent backup vehicle.
‘’Retention of all military uniforms and accoutrement to be worn for appropriate ceremonies; five domestic aides (two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener); one Aide-de-Camp/security officer; one Special Assistant (Lt/Capt or equivalents) or one Personal Assistant (Warrant Officer or equivalents); standard guard (nine soldiers).
“Three service drivers; one service orderly; escorts (to be provided by appropriate military units/formation as the need arises); retention of personal firearms (on his demise, the personal firearm(s) shall be retrieved by the relevant service); and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad.”
However, the policy specifies that such entitlements apply only if the retired officers have not accepted any other appointment funded from public resources — except when such an appointment is made by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In such cases, the officers, according to the document, will only receive allowances commensurate with the new role rather than a full salary.
Retired soldiers protest lavish perks
Reacting, some retired soldiers decried what they described as the luxurious benefits and entitlements reserved for service chiefs and senior military officers.
They lamented that junior personnel continued to suffer neglect and unpaid entitlements despite years of service to the nation.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: Tinubu swears In New INEC Chairman, Amupitan
The retired officers expressed frustration over the disparity in welfare and treatment between senior and junior ranks within the military.
One of the leaders of the discharged soldiers demanding their owed entitlements, Sgt. Zaki Williams, expressed frustration over the entitlements reserved for the service chiefs.
Speaking in an emotional tone, Williams, who claimed to be speaking for more than 700 soldiers in his group, said many retired non-commissioned officers had been abandoned despite dedicating their lives to defending the country.
He said, “I don’t really understand how our people in Nigeria do things. The people at the top always do things to favour only themselves. They don’t care about the poor or the junior ones who sacrificed everything.”
The retired sergeant recalled that government officials had made several promises to improve their welfare, but none had been fulfilled.
“Since the day they made those promises to us, we went back home and didn’t hear anything again. Everything just ended there. We’ve been waiting till now, but nothing has happened,” he added.
Williams said the situation had left many of his colleagues demoralised and divided over whether to continue pressing for their entitlements.
“Some of us said we should protest again, but others refused. We told them that day that we were not going for another protest. If the government wants to help us, they should help us. If not, we’re done,” he said.
He also accused senior military officers of frustrating efforts by the defence ministry to address the concerns of retired personnel.
According to Williams, life after service has been extremely difficult for most of them who retired voluntarily or were discharged without compensation.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Approves Tenure Extension For Surveyor-General
“How can someone retire after years of service and still not get their entitlement? Many of us can’t even build a house. The senior officers have houses, cars, and everything good, but the rest of us have nothing,” he said.
He added that the little compensation given to some was not enough to rebuild their lives.
“If they give you N2m today, what can you really start with it in this country? You have children, family, and responsibilities, yet you can’t even afford a plot of land,” he said.
Expressing disappointment, he said most junior officers had lost faith in the system.
“We’ve handed everything over to God,” he said quietly. “We’ve cried and done our best. They promised us, but in the end, it’s still zero. We haven’t seen anything. That’s why many of us are now silent.”
Another retired soldier, Abdul Isiak, lamented that promises made to retired personnel had remained unfulfilled, leaving many struggling to survive.
He said, “All you said they would give to them would be done promptly, and they are more than what we need to sustain our lives. This is very unfair. We have suffered a lot, and they’re yet to give us our entitlements after leaving the service. What is our offence? Is it because we are junior officers?”
The former sergeant said the senior officers continued to enjoy generous retirement packages while lower ranks were denied their due benefits.
“We are preparing for another protest for them to pay us. This is very bad,” he said.
(PUNCH)
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