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Retirement Benefits: Ex-service chiefs set to get 4 bulletproof SUVs, 36 soldiers, 20 domestic aides
According to reports, ex-service chiefs who were retired by President Bola Tinubu on Monday, June 19, 2023, will receive bulletproof Sport Utility Vehicles, personal aides, guards, and other benefits of office, including an enormous allowance for medical treatment overseas, as retirement benefits.
The retired service chiefs include General Lucky Irabor, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff; Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff; Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, the Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, the Chief of Air Staff.
The Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria 2017 (revised), listed the benefits of the retired Generals upon leaving their respective services.
Section 11.8 of the HTACOS 2017, a revised version of the HTACOS 2012, listed the benefits of a retiring CDS and service chiefs to include one bulletproof SUV or equivalent vehicle to be maintained by the service and to be replaced every four years; Peugeot 508 or equivalent backup vehicle; and five domestic aides made up of two service cooks, two stewards and a civilian gardener.
Each of the ex-service chief is provided with an Aide-de-Camp/security officer, a special assistant of the rank of lieutenant/captain or equivalent, or a personal assistant of the rank of warrant officer or equivalent, and nine standard guards of nine soldiers.
The immediate past CDS and service chiefs are also entitled to three service drivers, one service orderly, escorts from relevant military units/formations as needed, and free medical coverage in Nigeria and overseas.
They must also keep all military uniforms and equipment, as well as personal weaponry, during suitable ceremonies. Such firearms, however, must be reclaimed by the relevant services upon the death of the beneficiaries.
According to Section 11.19 of the HTACOS 2017, the retirement benefits of a Lieutenant General for the Nigerian Army, Vice Admiral for the Navy and Air Marshal for the Air Force include two Peugeot 508 cars, or one Toyota Land Cruiser, two cooks, two stewards, four residential guards, one service orderly, two service drivers, free medical treatment in the country and abroad to the tune of $20,000 yearly.
Meanwhile for numerous Major Generals and their equivalence in the Navy and Air Force are anticipated to apply for voluntary retirement by Monday, after the President’s nomination of a new CDS and service chiefs.
In the HTACOS, however, the retirement benefits for a Major General in the Army, Rear Admiral in the Navy and Air Vice Marshal in Air Force, who are two-star officers, include one Peugeot 508, a cook, a steward, two residential guards, one service orderly, one service driver, free medicals in Nigeria and abroad to the tune of $15,000 per year.
Their one-star officers who are Brigadier Generals, Commodore and Air Commodore upon retirement are entitled to one Peugeot 408, a service driver, two residential guards, one service orderly and free medicals locally and abroad to the tune of $10,000 each.
Following retirement, their one-star officers who are Brigadier Generals, Commodores, and Air Commodores are entitled to one Peugeot 408, a service driver, two residential guards, one service orderly, and $10,000 in free medicals both domestically and overseas.
Colonels, Captains, and Group Captains in the Army, Navy, and Air Force are scheduled to receive a Peugeot 301 or another car of comparable worth, as well as free medical coverage in the country.
However, the harmonized service conditions stated that for Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, Colonels, and their counterparts in the Navy and Air Force, all benefits might be monetized for retiring officers.
In contrast, the 2012 version of the HTACOS provided for one security car to be retained and changed every four years; the retention of all military uniforms and accoutrements to be worn for appropriate ceremonies, as well as personal firearms, which shall be retrieved by the relevant services upon the death of the beneficiaries; three domestic non-military staff (cook, gardener, and steward), or cash in lieu; Aide-de-Camp/security officer; Section 09.17 includes one service driver and one service orderly for retiring Generals, CDS, and service chiefs.
