Badaru calls for more engagements to improve veterans’ welfare

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has called for more engagements between the Ministry and the Military Veterans’ Ministerial Welfare Committee in order to be able to take care of their needs.
A statement issued yesterday by Henshaw Ogubike,
Director (Press & PR), said the Minister stated this when he received a report on the Military Veterans’ ministerial Welfare Committee from the Veterans’ in Ship House, Abuja.
Badaru said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR appreciates the Military for laying their lives for peace and security of Nigeria, adding that nothing would be too much to support them.
“We are passionate about the welfare of the Veterans’. We will work with you to overcome the problems. We will look at the document for further engagements and seek for further ideas. I assure you that we will follow it religiously. Let us keep engaging for the better welfare of the Veterans’,” he said.
Speaking on the way forward, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, mni said that there was no more intervention budget and that since the 2024 budget has been submitted to the National Assembly for approval, they needed to engage with National Assembly for a way out.
“Mr. President wants everything to be budgeted for. I advise you to liase with the National Assembly so that something can be done,”he advised the Committee.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Military Veterans’ Ministerial Welfare Committee, Air Commodore Olufemi Oguntunyi (Rtd.) thanked the Minister for authorizing the formation of the Committee adding that the Minister is very passionate about the issue of veterans’ welfare and for giving a listening ear to their report. “This is the first time we are asked to submit our challenges in a report form. We have done that and we have put it in executive summary, with that, all these agitations will not come up again,” he assured the Minister.