The Nigerian Medical Association, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors criticized President Bola Tinubu’s approved retirement package for service chiefs and generals, which included bulletproof SUVs, cooks, and $20,000 for foreign medical treatment.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
On December 14, 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, which states that the Chief of Defense Staff and other service chiefs are entitled to a bulletproof SUV or something similar as a retirement benefit. The military would provide maintenance and replace the vehicle every four years. This is on top of having a Peugeot 508 or similar car as a backup.
After retirement, the retired generals will also have access to a number of additional opulent perks, such as home security and domestic help.
The benefits for the CDS and service chiefs were not defined, but it is thought that they would be much higher than those for those who retire as lieutenant generals and their equivalents, who will receive up to $20,000 in annual international and local medical treatment.
In addition to a service orderly, three service drivers, and a personal assistant or special assistant, they will also be escorted by the relevant military forces as necessary.
Along with an aide-de-camp or security officer, each retiring service head will also receive five domestic aides, who will include two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener.
“Retirement benefits for CDS and Service Chiefs: The following benefits shall be applicable,” the HTCOS stated. Every four years, the Service will repair and replace one bulletproof SUV or comparable vehicle. A backup Peugeot 508 or similar vehicle.
One Aide-de-Camp/security officer; one Special Assistant (Lt/Capt or equivalents); one Personal Assistant (Warrant Officer or equivalents); five domestic aides (two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener); and standard guard (nine soldiers) are all required to be kept in uniform and equipped for the proper ceremonies.
“Free medical coverage in Nigeria and overseas; three service drivers; one service orderly; escorts (to be supplied by the proper military units/formation as needed); retention of personal firearms (the relevant service shall retrieve the personal firearm(s) upon his death); and three service drivers.”
Other senior commanders, including lieutenant generals and their equivalents, are entitled to two Toyota Hilux cars or one Toyota Land Cruiser, as well as two cooks, two stewards, four residential guards, two drivers, and $20,000 in medical benefits per year.
In addition to $20,000 for medical care each year, lieutenant generals and their equivalents will also receive two Toyota Hilux cars or one Toyota Land Cruiser, two cooks, two stewards, four residential guards, and two drivers, the paper said.
Benefits for lieutenants general and their equivalents upon retirement. The following advantages will be relevant: officers with three stars. Four residential guards, one service orderly, two service drivers, two Toyota Hilux vehicles, one Toyota Land Cruiser, or a comparable jeep of the same value, two cooks, two stewards, and free medical care in Nigeria and outside totaling $20,000 annually.
Additionally, the Federal Government authorized $15,000 in annual medical care, domestic staff, residential security, and a Toyota Land Cruiser or comparable for major generals and brigadier generals.
A Toyota Camry or comparable vehicle, $10,000 per year for medical expenses, and comparable domestic and security benefits are all anticipated of one-star officers. The HTCOS also said that the following advantages would be available to major-generals, brigadier-generals, and their equivalents: One Toyota Land Cruiser or a comparable vehicle with the same price range.
Two residential guards, one steward, one cook, and one service orderly; just one driver; The annual cost of free medical care in Nigeria and outside is $15,000. One service driver; two residential guards; one Toyota Camry or a comparable vehicle of the same worth; and officers of one-star rank (Brig. Gen.) $10,000 a year for one orderly and free medical procedure in Nigeria and overseas.
Free medical care in Nigeria and a Toyota Corolla or similar vehicle are provided to colonels and their equivalents. Government officials should invest any retirement benefits they receive in Nigeria, stressed Prof. Bala Audu, President of the NMA.
“I think they should give them all their benefits in Nigeria, that is what I believe,” the NMA president said in reference to the increased benefits for the military brass. “They can provide them with government-funded medical care, cooks, or anything else.”
“Anyone who wishes to receive benefits, whether they are Mr. President or service chiefs, should do so in Nigeria and not overseas,” he said. In order to meet the healthcare demands of Nigerians, MDCAN President Prof. Muhammad Muhammad called for a transformation of the country’s healthcare system.
“The fact that it is officially stated that the medical care must be received elsewhere worries me more than what they are providing. As a matter of fact, they will typically encounter Nigerian physicians when they go out. Therefore, in that case, we must ensure that the Nigerian healthcare practitioners are receiving quality care,” he stated.
The choice to provide for the retired officers’ overseas medical care, he continued, was a symptom of a lack of trust in the community’s healthcare system.
Additionally, it indicates that the government lacks faith in the Nigerian healthcare system. Because that is what would keep Nigerians’ faith in the country’s healthcare system and healthcare providers intact, they must ensure that we have the same quality of care that they receive outside. Therefore, the fact that the treatment would be administered elsewhere is what worries me the most, not the amount that was allotted.
He went on to say, “That indicates that the government itself is uncomfortable and dissatisfied with what is available in Nigerian hospitals for the care of Nigerians.” The medical expert emphasized that the welfare of Nigerians and healthcare professionals should be given priority, even if he acknowledged that the retirement compensation for politicians, judges, and service leaders is not new.
So that Nigerians who might not need to travel abroad can receive the necessary healthcare services, he suggested, “they also need to increase budgetary provisions to upgrade our hospitals and other healthcare institutions and training centers.” Dr. Tope Osundara, president of NARD, stated that medical tourism is the health sector’s worst enemy and that it must be addressed immediately.
“Nigeria offers the same medical care that they travel elsewhere for. Furthermore, what is preventing the government from modernizing our hospitals or supplying them with cutting-edge equipment? “It’s not like we don’t have Nigerian doctors who can perform some of the tasks they go outside to accomplish, but regrettably, we would rather spend the money elsewhere, boosting their economy, than prioritize our health system, equip the hospitals, and make it more effective.
“We ought to invest more money in our healthcare system, and it will eventually find a way to spread.” It will yield a return on investment by the time you are investing in it and people are taking advantage of it. However, it appears that the government is not concentrating on what is crucial for Nigeria, but rather on other things. “There is a limit to what a minister can do, but I appreciate that Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister, is doing everything in his power to enhance the health system.
“A paradigm change is required with regard to health sector reforms. The executive branch of government is still in charge of making sure that medical care overseas is not prioritized; instead, we should internalize and localize treatment,” he stated. Friday Odeh, the country director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, called the situation “alarming,” pointing out the hardships Nigerians experience and expressing concern about the government’s priorities due to the exorbitant retirement benefits.
During his call for citizens to oppose such practices, he also questioned if the military chiefs had done enough to merit the packages. “The fact that service chiefs will get $20,000 for overseas medical care, bulletproof SUVs, and personal staff as part of their retirement package is concerning,” Odeh said. During a period of economic hardship in Nigeria, such extravagant spending raises fundamental questions about the goals of the government.
While millions of Nigerians endure poverty and subpar public services, money are being diverted to a small number of people’s luxuries. Does Nigeria actually have this much money to spend? Citing the military’s incapacity to tackle the nation’s insecurity, Odeh questioned the rationale for the retirement benefits.
“The rationale behind these benefits is dubious,” he continued. The nation has been plagued by insurgency, kidnapping, banditry, and violence for more than 12 years, leaving a path of devastation in their wake. Although considerable progress has been made, it has been uneven and insufficient.
“”Given the ongoing insecurity in many areas of a nation where military procurement details are seldom made public and corruption is supposedly rampant in these budgets, have the service chiefs done enough to merit such packages?
Deeper problems in governance are reflected in this policy. It conveys the alarming message that elites can receive generous public spending regardless of their performance.
“The public and media must demand a focus on the broader good and oppose policies that always conceal themselves beneath national security. Insecurity has somewhat decreased in some places, but not nearly enough to warrant giving leaders extravagant benefits, he said.
According to Okechukwu Nwaguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law Advocacy and Accountability Centre, the retirement benefits showed “a troubling disconnect between government actions and the realities faced by citizens,” and the rationale for them was dubious.
In light of the current economic crisis, he said, “The Nigerian government’s decision to give military leaders excessive retirement benefits reflects a troubling disconnect between government actions and the realities faced by citizens.”
It presents serious questions about the impartiality and priorities of the government. Military officials’ extravagant retirement benefits stand in stark contrast to the hardships that the majority of citizens endure due to inflation, unemployment, and instability.
Because it seems more concerned with rewarding elites than meeting the needs of common people, this discrepancy has the potential to increase public discontent with the government. According to Nwaguma, the ruling might strengthen the idea that the Tinubu administration gave preference to the interests of the elite, which would further alienate the populace.
It calls into question how equitable resource distribution is in emergency situations. This circumstance emphasizes the necessity of better governance that takes into account the wishes and well-being of the populace. People look to their leaders to be responsible and empathetic.
“The government should prioritize security and social welfare programs and align its policies with the socioeconomic realities of the populace for long-term stability and public trust,” he continued.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
