Col Nasiru Salami (retd), a civil war veteran and the Secretary of the Nigerian Legion, Lagos Chapter, has expressed disappointment over the treatment of military retirees by authorities, stating that they have not received their war bonuses since they retired from the service.
This is even as he said that the mistreatment of the retired soldiers has made him to not encourage his children to join the Nigerian Army.
Speaking on The Morning Brief on Channels Television during the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the 76-year-old recounted his experiences, including being sent to the battlefield during the Biafra war after just six weeks of training.
“I was on the battlefield for 11 months,” Salami said, detailing his time in the civil war between 1967 and 1970.
He also shared the harrowing experience of nearly losing his right foot in combat, which now contains plastic materials to address the severe injuries he suffered.
Remarkably, Salami returned to the frontlines after his recovery.
Despite his dedication, Salami criticised the military’s failure to provide adequate post-service support.
He lamented, “For now, I will never recommend any of my children to join the Nigerian Army. I am their father, and they are seeing me now that my life is not to their expectation. They would want me to be higher than this, full of joy and other things that would make them happy. How would I now encourage them to join the army?”
He revealed that he had advised his two graduate children to consider alternatives, saying, “Never you think of going to join the army. If you want to join, maybe the Navy or the Air Force. I’ve not been there, but I’ve been seeing them and hearing about them because they are treated better.”
Salami also highlighted the neglect faced by civil war veterans, stating that the Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Legion has over 24,000 members, many of whom have not received war bonuses or pensions decades after their service.
“We are asking for war bonus, those of us who fought the war. I retired in December 1983, and they promised us heaven and earth, but up till now, we have not seen it,” he said, urging the government to fulfill its promises and improve veterans’ welfare.
