The Adamawa-born lawmaker and Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Rep. Yusuf Buba Yakub, has solicited for greater support and continuous commitment to the care for families of military and paramilitary officers whose breadwinners lose their lives daily in the process of keeping the peace or maintaining law and order in the country and across the shores of our nation as peacekeepers.
Buba made the call, Sunday, in Abuja following events that brought to a head activities and programmes marking the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. He said across the country, the sad reality that stares everyone in the face with regards to the quality of life being lived by families of dead heroes was one that must elicit palpable concern from the citizenry, if the nation still hopes to maintain its armed forces.
The lawmaker said it was trite news to begin to chronicle the many plights of members of the armed forces, who he informed, retire from service or leave families on their own as a result of incapacitation or even death. He said a visit to any of the barracks around every Nigerian city where those who are even opportune to have a roof over their heads live, usually, tells the story of the lack and squalor that characterize the living standards of families of those whose only offence is choosing to make a career involving the highest sacrifice for their country.
While arguing that every nation gets the services it pays for from its workforce, the Gombi/Hong Rep admonished Governments at all levels and other non-State actors, including businesses and well-to-do individuals across the country to go beyond the yearly celebration of placing wreaths on the tomb of the unknown soldier to working out generous welfare packages that will not only cater to the needs of, especially, junior officers while they serve, but those of their family members when they are no more.
He added:
“As our nation continues to evolve, especially, on the path of democracy, a situation where it takes a litany of man-made woes to access benefits for permanent incapacitation for service personnel, death benefits and other entitlements by families of fallen heroes and the like, we must at a period like this determine to make history of such situations in the lives and service of members of our armed forces and their families. Any attempt by anyone or group to continue to perpetrate or even perpetuate the old order must be seen as national sabotage and be treated as so.
“It has come to a time when we must treat the condition of members of our armed forces, especially, the rank and file, and their families, as a national emergency. And this is if we are serious about getting the results we see in other climes! Of course, as I pointed out before, this change must involve everyone; the governments, public and private institutions and even individuals. After all, security, they say, is everyone’s business. We may just begin by setting aside just a little percent of our earnings like we do in Education Tax, Pensions and such things like payment for contracts. These will, surely, go a long way to realizing a better tomorrow for our nation’s armed forces and their families.”
Rep Buba, who also thanked the current Administration for improving the procurement of equipment and other military hardware for the nation’s armed forces, also called on whoever that would eventually succeed the outgoing President to maintain the current tempo or even surpass it, since violent extremism and other acts of criminality, he stressed, daily assume unknown sophistry.
Nkem Anyata-Lafia
Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to the Lawmaker
Monday, January 16,2023
