The new Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB), Major General Julius Osifo, has pledged to ensure prompt payment of pensions, gratuities, death benefits and other entitlements to retired military personnel and families of deceased servicemen.
Osifo made the pledge on Wednesday during the handover ceremony at the board’s headquarters in Abuja, following the completion of his predecessor Air Vice Marshal Mikhail Abdulraheem’s tenure.
The new chairman said his administration would prioritise the welfare of military veterans and families of personnel who died in the line of duty by making benefit payments faster, easier to access and less bureaucratic.
“My mission statement will be anchored on leading a Board that will prioritise all ways and means to ensure payments are prompt, accessed with seamless ease, less cumbersome, less bureaucratic, but with an overriding commitment to ensuring only the rightful recipients get their due entitlements,” he said.
Osifo warned that delays in paying death benefits to the families of soldiers killed in action could undermine the sacrifices of fallen personnel and affect the morale of troops still involved in military operations.
“From my personal experience in OPHK, I can tell you outright that inefficient administration leading to default in payments of benefits to NOK of KIA not only diminishes the sacrifices of our gallant soldiers, but also dishonours the memory of those killed in action and demoralises the fighting spirit of those in combat,” Osifo said.
He added that the concern also applied to personnel who had retired or been discharged after serving in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Osifo, who became the board’s 26th chairman, said he would build on the achievements of his predecessors and deploy technology to improve pension administration.
He also pledged to strengthen collaboration with the military services and other relevant institutions to identify beneficiaries proactively and speed up the processing of their entitlements.
“The implementation strategies for the attainment of this mission statement include leveraging smart systems of contemporary technology, effective liaison with the Services for proactive identification of beneficiaries, prompt processing of benefits and enhanced capacity building of MPB personnel,” he said.
The chairman further promised to improve the capacity and motivation of the board’s personnel, noting that a well-trained and motivated workforce was essential to achieving its objectives.
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He said his ultimate goal was to reposition the board to ensure timely and seamless payments to veterans and families of fallen soldiers.
“My desired end state is to reposition the MPB to be technically proficient towards the optimisation of my vision of prompt and seamless payments to veterans and families of fallen heroes,” he said.
In his valedictory remarks, the outgoing chairman, Abdulraheem, thanked the board’s officers, soldiers and civilian staff for their cooperation and support during his tenure.
He urged them to extend the same commitment to his successor, stressing that the board’s mandate depended on teamwork and a shared commitment to the welfare of military pensioners and their next of kin.
“The mandate of this Board is bigger than any individual and its success depends on our ability to remain united and focused on the welfare of our military pensioners and their Next-of-Kin,” Abdulraheem said.
He expressed confidence in Osifo and wished him a successful tenure.
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