We Regret Serving Nigeria - Retired Military Men

Across the world, retirement is a time looked forward to by work­ers. But the same cannot be said of many Nigerian workers.

This is largely due to the difficulty retirees go through to get their benefits and monthly pension paid. The travails of retirees like 71-year-old Abu Bakare Ekundayo and 68- year-old Richard Ogundare exemplify why retirement is rebuffed and abhorred by lots of workers in Nigeria. 

As a result, many continue to alter their age and even record of service till they drop dead on the job. Both retirees are distressed and appalled at the non-payment of their gra­tuity and pension,10 years after retiring from active public service.

Richard Ogundare served in the Nige­rian Army between1969 and 1979. He was a Lance Corporal at the Armoured Battalion in Nsukka Unit, Enugu State. He was later de­mobilized after 10 years in the military. After the demobilization in 1979, he enrolled and was absorbed into the Nigeria Police Force. 

There, he served for another 25 years, rising through the ranks to become Assistant Super­intendent of Police (ASP). He retired in 2004 after serving the country cummulatively for 35 years. However, since his retirement, not a dime has been paid him as pension or gra­tuity.

Also, Abu Bakare Ekundayo shares the similar fate. He also served in the Army as a Lance Corporal in the Supply and Transport section, Rukuba Jos Unit. He was demobi­lized into the Nigeria Police Force, where he put in 17 years and retired in 2006 as an In­spector at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja.

Ogundare and Ekundayo, after years of service in Nigeria’s security forces have not got their pensions, a development making them to regret serving their fatherland. Both still have marks of injuries they sustained during the civil war and in shoot-outs with criminals on their bodies. Initially, they used to see those scars as a badge of honor, but now it looks to them like a mark of shame. 

“Each time I recall the number of times I escaped death by the whiskers in the course of serving this country, I weep. Honestly, I regret serving this country. In fact, I’m ashamed to be a Nigerian. How much is this my stipend that they have refused to pay me? Is it up to the amount politicians’ children waste to maintain their luxurious lifestyle? If I die with this bottled-up anger, do you think my spirit would be happy with this country? Right now, I have no reason to be proud of my country, I’m ashamed.” Ogundare de­clares.