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OPINION: The Humiliating Troika Of Obasanjo, Shettima And Bakare (1)

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Tunde Odesola

Like humans, words have birthplaces. Russia is the birthplace of the word troika. In the once-upon-a-communist-but-now-a-democratic-capitalist country, troika means ‘a group of three’. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a troika as a Russian vehicle drawn by a team of three horses abreast.

As a Yoruba expression, ‘i-k-a’, the last three alphabets of ‘troika’, has cousins in the English noun ‘wickedness’, the adjective ‘wicked’ and the noun ‘highhandedness’. But high-handedness is what I have in mind for drawing an inference from ‘ika’ in this article.

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A typical Mr Vladimir, Put In a Yoruba context, is likely to define tro-i-k-a as ‘three high-handed acts’ and not just ‘a group of three’ which the noun means in his native Russia.

Army General, Olusegun Obasanjo, whose street-bequeathed title, Ebora Owu, highlights an eruptive and combative character, was in his khaki element two Fridays ago in Iseyin, an Oyo town 100 kilometres north of Ibadan.

With his graceful wife, Bola, in tow, the ex-military head of state, ex-civilian president, farmer, writer, teacher, engineer, historian, theologian, sports lover, Egba high chief and ex-3.0, headed to Iseyin as a guest of the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, for the inauguration of a campus of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.

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I’m not bound to explain what 3.0 is, please. Go and find out what a three-pointer is in basketball, and stop thinking that ex-3.0 means ex-third-term seeker. I no fit talk so.

Love him or hate him, Obasanjo is a man of great destiny, having many trophies to show for countless life battles. Each time some of his seniors, mates or juniors stopped flying bullets, fate shielded Obasanjo.

FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: The god that cut soap for Wizkid (2)

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Following a bitter 30-month war – July 6, 1967, through January 13, 1970 – with Nigeria, it was to Obasanjo that Biafra surrendered in January 1970, barely eight months after Colonel Benjamin Adekunle aka Black Scorpion handed over to him in May 1969 upon his (Adekunle’s) redeployment by the Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. Many accounts of the war say Adekunle laid the foundation for Biafra’s surrender and was ably supported by his lieutenants consisting of Alani Akinrinade, and Alabi Isama, among others.

A diligent soldier and well-respected civilian leader, Obasanjo got medals afield but his home front was not as garlanded.

He got battered in the nose a couple of times, like the bombshell letter titled, “Dear Daddy, you don’t own Nigeria,” written to him by his firstborn, Iyabo, in December 2013, in which the former senator, veterinary doctor and America-trained epidemiologist ruled out further communication with her dad, whom she called ‘a liar, manipulator and two-faced hypocrite’. Iyabo said she didn’t write the letter to seek political favour, insisting she was only saying the truth about her father.

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About a year after Iyabo’s letter bomb, Obasanjo, in his book, My Watch, alleged his daughter was induced by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to do a dirty job. Obasanjo had earlier fallen out with President Musa Yar’Adua, whom he helped install as President before Yar’Adua succumbed to sickness and Jonathan succeeded him.

However, a more devastating blow to the face of the General had preceded Iyabo’s letter when his son, Gbenga, alleged in court that he (Obasanjo) slept with his (Gbenga) wife.

Despite the shifting sands of the family front, Obasanjo maintained a firm footing on Nigeria’s political terrain, his solid personal achievements forever etching him into public consciousness.

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FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: The God That Cut Soap For Wizkid (1)

I think it was based on the record of his larger-than-life accomplishments and charisma that the younger engineer Makinde invited OBJ to Oyo State to witness the showcasing of the Fashola Farm Estate and the inauguration of the 34.85km Oyo-Iseyin Road, both in Oyo town, before journeying to Iseyin for the unveiling of the brand-new LAUTECH campus.

I reliably gathered that some of the traditional rulers on the governor’s entourage at the twin events in Oyo town, also travelled down with him to Iseyin while the hosting Iseyin-axis traditional rulers had patiently awaited the governor and his entourage from Oyo.

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These fatigue-inducing events preceded the outburst by Obasanjo, who wracked his throat, spat up and collected the spittle with his own face, upon seeing that the traditional rulers didn’t stand up to greet the governor at the venue of the Iseyin event.

The traditional rulers didn’t see Obasanjo’s sucker punch coming, though they’re called the second-in-command to the gods. It landed terribly on the face, like an Antony Joshua blow, sending crowns crashing down in shame.

The General shouted, “E dide! E joko!” If the traditional rulers had not obeyed his command, what would he have done? Absolutely nothing! And the flame of his rage would’ve been shamefully extinguished before the eyes of the world.

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But Obasanjo isn’t a General for nothing. He understands the use of surprise as a great principle of war, and he knows how to pick his fights. He wouldn’t bark such an order to the Oba of Lagos, Kabiyesi Rilwan Akiolu; the Awujale of Ijebu, Oba Sikiru Adetona; the Owa of Ilesa, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran; the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo; among others.

He wouldn’t have said such to the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade; or the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi. I can imagine how both Sijuwade and Adeyemi would have disdained the order with looks that say the bagworm bears its troubles on its head, ‘arigisegi, ori ara e ni o fi ko’.

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Apart from the surprise principle of war which he utilised at Iseyin to the hilt, Obasanjo also employed other war principles such as mapping out his objective, going on the offensive, hitting the mass of his target, using the economy of force, manoeuvrability, unity of command and simplicity.

Exploring manoeuvrability, Obasanjo knew he had no authority to ask the traditional rulers to stand up because he was no longer in power, but he cleverly drew the governor to his side, knowing full well that none of the rulers would risk disobeying his order, and be seen as anti-Makinde.

Obasanjo, the Olori Omo Ilu of Ibogun-Olaogun, said in angry Yoruba, “You kings, I greet you for coming, but let me say something, any event the governor or the president is, all traditional rulers there must stand up to greet the governor or president. Stand up! Sit down! (The kings obeyed his order amid an uproar).

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He continues, “In Yorubaland, two things are respected, among others – age and position. The governor has a higher position than any oba when he’s in power, even when I was president, I prostrate to kings, but when we are indoors, kings prostrate to me. Let’s uplift our culture.”

The advocate of do-or-die politics left power more than 16 years ago and he, also, doesn’t know the ages of all the rulers at the event. Therefore, he couldn’t, as of the time he was making the speech, say he was older than all the rulers present. So, on account of position and age, which he canvassed, Obasanjo had no grounds to utter his infamous order.

Some of the rulers at the event were the Okere of Saki, Oba Khalid Olabisi, a first-class monarch; Alado of Ado Awaiye, Onpetu of Ijeruland, Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Onjo of Okeho, Onitede of Tede, Onisemi of Isemi, Eleyinpo of Ipapo, Alageere of Ofiki, Ajoriwin of Irawo, and many other kings in the Oke-Ogun zone of Oyo State.

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Some of the towns in the zone are Iganna, Iwere Ile, Ilero, Ogboro, Igboho, Ago Amodu, Ago Are, Baasi, and Okaaka, among others.

I had laid in wait for the response of the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, to OBJ’s attack on the monarchs. I had expected the response via a public statement, but Kongi, being an adept hunter himself, attacked through an ambush, assuring traditional rulers who were part of the audience at a book launch that he wouldn’t bark at them, “Stand up!, Sit down!” because ‘this is a cultured gathering.’

To be continued

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Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com
Facebook: @Tunde Odesola
X: @Tunde_Odesola

 

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Why We Expanded Presidential Amnesty Scholarship Scheme — Otuaro

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Otuaro (middle) in a group photograph with the PAP foreign scholarship students in the United Kingdom after an interactive session in London on Saturday, 25 October, 2025.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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OPINION: A ‘Crazy’ African Nation, Where Citizens Eat And Drink Football

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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Ex-soldiers Fume Over Lifetime Benefits For Sacked Service Chiefs

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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‘’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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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.

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We are preparing for another protest for them to pay us. This is very bad,” he said.

(PUNCH)

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