The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence Dr Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, mni has brokered peace with veterans protesting over issues on the Security Debarment Allowance.
Blueprint report to military veterans under the aegis of the Retired Members of Nigerian Armed Forces and the Coalition of Concerned Military Veterans, staged the third phase of their protests over the non-payment of their Security Debarment Allowance, among others, at the Ministry of Defence, in Abuja on Monday.
Media aide to the minister of Defence Mohammad Abdulkadri in a statement on Tuesday night, said the Permanent Secretary debunked the allegation that the money has been released and payment denied the veterans by the authorities of the Ministry.
He said, “Being the Accounting Officer of the Ministry, I am urging you to give peace a chance and go home. We will get back to you as soon as possible and without delays.”
He pointed out that the Minister of Defence, Maj.-Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (retd.) is concerned about their plight.
The Permanent Secretary assuaged the fear of the veterans on the issue of fresh Verification Exercise before payment, stressing that the existing database of all veterans will be used to administer payment.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Staff General Leo Irabor thanked, Dr Kana for resolving the impasse and appreciated the protesters for their peaceful conduct.
On his part, the spokesman of the Retired Veterans, Biodun Durowde Albert, attributed the misinformation and insinuations to the communication gap between the veterans and the ministry to which the Permanent Secretary assured them of free flow of information on the issue.
The statement added that the veterans agreed to go back home immediately and have since cleared the barricade to signal the return of peace as they said they are now better informed than before and promised to work closely with the ministry henceforth.
