- President Bola Tinubu approved luxurious retirement benefits for military officers of General rank.
- Benefits include bulletproof SUVs, fully paid foreign medical treatment, and domestic staff.
Following the signing of the new terms and conditions of Service of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has approved mouth-watering allowances for officers of General rank who will retire after serving 35 years in service. Some of the allowances include the provision of a bulletproof SUV as a take-home gift, fully paid foreign medical treatment, $20,000 as estacode while embarking on the medical trip, and payments for cooks and house helps.
The Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, which had been in the works since the tenure of the former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, was signed by President Bola on December 14, 2024.
Starting with the top brass of the military, it provides that the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, and other Senior officers are entitled to a bulletproof SUV or its equivalent as a retirement package. The vehicle and a backup vehicle are replaced every four years and maintained by the armed forces.
The retired generals will also enjoy a range of other luxurious benefits, including domestic aides and residential guards upon retirement. Lieutenant Generals and their equivalents will be entitled to foreign medical treatment and $20,000 annually, with that of the CDS expected to be higher.
The generals will also be entitled to a Special Assistant or Personal Assistant, 3 military drivers, and a military orderly, with escorts provided by individual military units. Each retiring service chief is also entitled to 5 domestic staff, comprising 2 cooks, 2 stewards, and a civilian gardener, along with an ADC/Security Officer.
The benefits for other senior officers include:
For Lieutenant Generals and equivalents: two Toyota Hilux vehicles or one Toyota Land Cruiser, along with $20,000 annual medical treatment, two cooks, two stewards, four residential guards, and two drivers.
For Major Generals and Brigadier Generals: a Toyota Land Cruiser or equivalent, $15,000 annual medical treatment, domestic staff, and residential guards.
For One-Star Generals: $10,000 annually for medical care, a Toyota Camry or equivalent, and similar domestic and security arrangements.
For Colonels and equivalents: a Toyota Corolla or its equivalent and free medical care within Nigeria.
The practice of rewarding retired service Chiefs and retired generals and equivalents with mouth-watering benefits is not new, but the new Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service has reviewed the benefits upward in line with the present socio-economic realities of the country.
