The Military Pensions Board (MPB) in Nigeria says it has paid all outstanding shortfalls of pensioners’ gratuities between April 2019 and May 2021 to personnel who were either retired or discharged. This was contained in a statement signed by O. Lawal, a flight lieutenant and public relations officer, on behalf of the chairman MPB, Saburi Abayomi Lawal, a commodore.
According to the statement, the payment was triggered by the implementation of the consequential adjustments on pensions which necessitated the new pension chart released by the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in April 2021.
“The Military Pensions Board (MPB) extends its compliments to our esteemed military retirees and wishes to inform them and their Next of Kins (NOK) that the Board has paid the shortfall in gratuities of military retirees who retired/discharged from the Services between 18th April 2019 and 31st May 2021 to their respective bank accounts today, 29 July 2021.
“This payment is occasioned by the implementation of the new pension chart released by the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in April 2021 as a result of the implementation of the consequential adjustments on pensions.
“Also, the Board has paid the shortfall in the gratuities of deceased retirees who retired/discharged within the same time frame to the respective bank accounts of their recorded NOK or family members who had hitherto been paid the deceased’s death benefits”.
Reiterating that the payment is basically for the shortfall in gratuities paid to personnel that retired/discharged from Service between 18th April 2019 and 31th May 2021, it stressed that the pay is not for the outstanding 24 months (April 2019 – April 2021) arrears of the consequential adjustments on pensions, whilst also noting that it did not include the consequential adjustment for officers on the high echelon.
It added, “Our esteemed pensioners are requested to note that the Board is in constant discussion with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (FMoFBNP) for release of funds to cater for these particular arrears.
“In addition, it is pertinent to state that pensions or gratuities of senior officers of the rank of Major General and above or its equivalents are not affected by the consequential adjustments on pensions occasioned by the new National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2019.
“The MPB wishes to assure our esteemed military retirees, NOKs and other well-meaning Nigerians that the Board remains resolute and will sustain the prompt payment of all entitlements due to all military retirees or their NOK once funds are made available,” it stated.
