By Olayemi Esan
The newly appointed Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB), Maj.-Gen. Julius Ehioze Osifo, has pledged to prioritise prompt and seamless payment of pensions, gratuities, death benefits and arrears to retired and discharged Armed Forces personnel and families of fallen military heroes.
Osifo made the pledge during the handing and taking-over ceremony at the headquarters of the Military Pensions Board in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, where he succeeded the outgoing chairman, AVM Mikhail Abdulraheem.
He said his administration would leverage modern technology, strengthen collaboration with the Armed Forces and relevant government institutions, and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks in the processing and payment of entitlements.
The new chairman, who described the appointment as a significant responsibility, assured military veterans and the next-of-kin of deceased personnel that his administration would work to ensure they received their rightful benefits promptly and with dignity.
“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 and less bureaucratic, but with an overriding commitment to ensuring only the rightful recipients get their due entitlements,” he said.
Osifo acknowledged the sacrifices made by military personnel in defence of the country, noting that delays in the payment of benefits to families of soldiers killed in action could undermine troop morale and diminish the sacrifices of fallen heroes.
Drawing from his experience in Operation Hadin Kai, he stressed that efficient pension administration was essential to honouring personnel who paid the supreme price and supporting those who retired after meritorious service.
He noted that Nigeria’s prevailing security challenges, including insurgency and terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and North-Central, violent extremism in the South-East, and militancy and oil theft in the South-South, had increased the deployment of troops in combat operations.
According to him, the realities of contemporary military operations make it imperative for the Board to strengthen its systems for the prompt administration of benefits to personnel and their families.
Osifo said his implementation strategy would include the use of modern technology, proactive identification of beneficiaries in collaboration with the Services, faster processing of entitlements, capacity building for Board personnel and stronger engagement with critical stakeholders.
He listed the Defence Headquarters, Service Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, National Assembly Committees on Defence, the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance among the institutions with which the Board would strengthen collaboration.
The chairman also pledged to promote professionalism, accountability, discipline and staff welfare, stressing that motivated personnel were essential to achieving the Board’s objectives.
He urged officers, soldiers and civilian staff of the MPB to support his administration, describing the repositioning of the institution as a collective responsibility.
Osifo expressed gratitude to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, for finding him worthy of the appointment, while also acknowledging the Chief of Defence Staff and the Minister of Defence for accepting his nomination.
He further commended former chairmen of the Board for laying the foundation upon which he intends to build, particularly acknowledging his predecessor and coursemate, Abdulraheem, with whom he shares a longstanding professional relationship.
Earlier, the outgoing chairman, AVM Mikhail Abdulraheem, expressed gratitude to officers, soldiers and civilian staff of the Board for their cooperation, dedication and support throughout his tenure.
Abdulraheem described the achievements recorded under his leadership as collective successes made possible by the commitment and professionalism of the workforce.
He urged the personnel to extend the same cooperation and loyalty to Osifo, emphasising that the Board’s mandate transcended individual leadership and required unity and sustained commitment to the welfare of military pensioners and their next-of-kin.
He expressed confidence in his successor and wished him a successful tenure, while urging the Board to sustain its culture of teamwork, discipline, innovation and service.
The Military Pensions Board, initially established in 1974 as the Directorate of Military Pensions, was restructured and renamed in 2003. It relocated to its permanent headquarters at Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, in 2011.
The Board is responsible for administering retirement benefits to retired and discharged Armed Forces personnel, as well as death benefits to the next-of-kin of military personnel who die in service.
