Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petintin(r)
THIS DAY
08 Dec 2011
The Nigerian military has disbursed N171m to 41 Next of Kin (NOK’s) and relatives of their staff and personnel, who lost their lives in active service, where only 21 were present to collect their cheques.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, in company of other service chiefs, distributed the monetary benefits yesterday in the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.
Petinrin restated the military’s resolve to ensure that the relatives and NOK’s of deceased personnel get the benefits that are due to them without any delay.
He assured that the armed forces will do everything possible to make sure the fallen hero’s receive their benefits ahead of any other officer.
He said: ‘’We will make sure that whatever benefits is due to them, whatever will make life easy for them be given to the families of officers who have fought in order to bring peace to the country.”
The CDS also commended the efforts of those, who worked to make the benefits a success. He also urged the beneficiaries to beware of fraudsters and use the monies given to them judiciously in order to make live better for their families.
Earlier, the Director, Legal Aid Department of the Armed Forces, Air Cmdr Ibrahim Shaffi, disclosed that between 2000 to 2004 and February 2010 a total of 3,400 army personnel lost their lives in active duty.
Shaffi noted that though verification of NOK’s started February this year, but their payment started in June with a total of 1559 paid in November, while the remaining 1841 are yet to be paid.
“Consequently, the CDS directed the death benefits of the deceased soldiers from March 2010 to November 2011 is also given utmost priority,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Bibinu Saleh, wife of the deceased Group Capt. Bininu Saleh, expressed satisfaction on the compensation saying that it will help them meet the welfare needs of their families.
Saleh, however, appealed to the Federal Government to remember other families, who may lose their lives in active duty in the future.
It says alot about our military administration that it takes the Chief of Defence Staff to hand out 21 cheques. How can we expect a professional armed force without adequate welfare