The Military Pensions Board has attributed the delay in payment of military pensioners’ new pension rates to non-release of funds to the Board.
The Chairman, Military Pensions Board (MPB), Air Vice Marshal Paul Irumheson, while disclosing this on Monday, averred that the delay had nothing to do with the ongoing electronic verification exercise.
TheFact Daily reports that the MPB had begun a 3-months nationwide electronic verification of all military pensioners on 1 July, 2024 but extended it by one month to end on Thursday, 31st October, 2024.
While making some clarifications on the ongoing electronic verification exercise, Irumheson explained that
the verification is a routine exercise aimed at authenticating the accurate strength of pensioners on the pension payroll to enable adequate budgeting and planning.
“The Board decided to move from physical to electronic verification to make life easier for its pensioners, particularly due to the security risks associated with travelling by road, the high cost of transportation, and the financial burden of travelling down to Nigeria for pensioners residing abroad, among others.
“With the advent the electronic verification system, pensioners can now carry out their verification from the comfort of their homes without the need to gather for any physical verification and the exercise has so far been successful”, he said.
The Chairman appealed to all pensioners to jettison the insinuation making the rounds linking the outcome of the ongoing electronic verification exercise to the payment of the new pension rates approved by the Federal Government.
He appealed for a little more patience, noting that the board is making extra efforts to ensure that all outstanding entitlements are paid as soon as possible, as the welfare of veterans remains their utmost priority.
AVM Irumheson appreciated the cooperation and understanding of pensioners as the board carries out its statutory functions. He further appealed by allaying the fears of veterans, assuring that no single pensioner will be short-changed of their entitlements, including arrears as the Board is working closely with relevant authorities to get funds released for payment.
“In its transparent manner, the Board is constantly briefing the 5-man Ministerial Standing Committee on every step taken so far”, he said, and advised the veterans to regularly check with the committee for updates as the committee remains the bridge between the veterans community and the Board.
