The Service Chiefs, who were officially relieved of their duties by President Bola Tinubu on June 19, 2023, will be provided with armored Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), personal assistants, security personnel, and other privileges associated with their former positions. Additionally, they will receive substantial allowances for medical treatment abroad as part of their retirement benefits.
The impacted top military officers 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 “Restricted” Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria 2017 (updated), obtained exclusively by Saturday Punch, revealed the rewards of retired Generals upon leaving their respective forces.
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The benefits of a retiring CDS and service chiefs were listed in Section 11.8 of the HTACOS 2017, a revised version of the HTACOS 2012. They included one bulletproof SUV or equivalent vehicle to be maintained by the service and replaced every four years; a Peugeot 508 or equivalent backup vehicle; and five domestic aides comprised of two service cooks, two stewards, and a civilian gardener.
Each has 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 troops.
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.
Section 11.19 of the HTACOS 2017 also listed the retirement benefits of a Lieutenant General for the Nigerian Army, Vice Admiral for the Navy, and Air Marshal for the Air Force as two Peugeot 508 cars or one Toyota Land Cruiser, two cooks, two stewards, four residential guards, one service orderly, two service drivers, and $20,000 in annual medical treatment in the country and abroad.
Meanwhile, 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.
The HTACOS, on the other hand, include a Peugeot 508, a cook, a steward, two residential guards, one service orderly, one service driver, and free medicals in Nigeria and abroad worth $15,000 per year for a Major General in the Army, Rear Admiral in the Navy, and Air Vice Marshal in the Air Force.
After 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 harmonised service conditions stated that for Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, Colonels, and their counterparts in the Navy and Air Force, all perks might be monetised for retiring officers.
In comparison, the 2012 version of the HTACOS provided for one security car to be maintained and replaced every four years by the respective service, as well as the retention of all military uniforms and accessories to be worn during suitable occasions.
In addition to personal firearms, which must be retrieved by the relevant services upon the beneficiaries’ deaths; three domestic civilian aides (cook, gardener, and steward), or cash in lieu; an Aide-de-Camp/security officer; six standard guards; one service driver; and one service orderly for retiring Generals, CDS, and service chiefs in Section 09.17.
