By Joy Odor Defence Correspondent
The Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, has fired a direct warning that Nigeria’s veterans can no longer survive on annual tributes and symbolic remembrance, declaring that only binding legislation, structured funding and national political will can secure their future.
Receiving the Chairperson of the National Council of the Nigerian Legion, Ms Grace Morenike Henry, at Army Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, the Army Chief said sustainable welfare for retired soldiers must move from rhetoric to enforceable policy.
According to him, the true measure of a professional military institution is not only its battlefield success but how it treats its veterans after the uniform comes off.
Lieutenant General Shaibu stressed that thousands of officers and soldiers who served in complex operational theatres across the country deserve predictable post-service support not uncertain, ad-hoc arrangements.
He warned that without deliberate policy frameworks and guaranteed budgetary backing, veterans risk sliding into socio-economic vulnerability despite years of national sacrifice.
“The dignity of service must not end at retirement,” he insisted, noting that leading militaries across the world operate comprehensive, law-backed welfare systems.
Drawing comparisons with advanced defence institutions, the COAS argued that countries with strong veterans’ systems have institutionalised welfare structures embedded in law and national budgets.
He urged Nigeria to consolidate and expand its existing frameworks to ensure retired personnel transition into civilian life with purpose and stability.
In a bold shift from conventional welfare rhetoric, the Army Chief repositioned veterans as strategic assets rather than dependents.
He called on retired personnel to venture into politics, governance and policy advocacy, arguing that their leadership discipline, crisis-management expertise and national security exposure make them uniquely qualified for legislative and executive roles.
Shaibu specifically encouraged engagement with the National Assembly both Senate and House of Representatives to champion stronger legal backing for veterans’ welfare.
The COAS further urged retirees with administrative, logistics and clerical experience to redeploy their skills into consulting, management and institutional advisory roles across the public and private sectors.
He also challenged veterans to document and publish their professional experiences to preserve institutional memory, enrich national security discourse and create sustainable income streams.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Nigerian Legion, Ms Grace Morenike Henry, laid bare structural hurdles confronting retirees and those nearing discharge.
She lamented low public awareness of the Legion’s statutory mandate and the tendency for national attention to spike only during Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day activities before fading for the rest of the year.
More critically, she revealed that veterans’ affairs lack a dedicated budget line within the national appropriation framework a gap that forces reliance on inconsistent, intervention-based funding.
Henry therefore advocated the creation of a fully funded ministry exclusively for veterans’ affairs to provide institutional clarity, fiscal stability and coordinated national direction.
Such a structure, she argued, would end fragmented welfare management and replace it with a clear governmental anchor.
The meeting ended with a renewed pledge from Army Headquarters to pursue a holistic, policy-driven welfare architecture one anchored on legislation, fiscal discipline and national recognition of service.
For Nigeria’s ageing veterans, the message was unmistakable: the era of applause without appropriation may be drawing to a close.
