Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Former director general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Col. Peter Obasa (retd), has made a passionate appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to pay his gratuity and pension, 35 years after he was compulsorily retired by the military.
Speaking with journalists in his Ilorin residence, yesterday, the 81-year-old retired soldier, who served as NYSC DG between 1979 and 1984, said he had received no letter of dismissal from the Army to have informed non payment of his entitlement.
“I appeal to Mr. President, in the name of Almighty God, in the names of all that are holy, good, true and just, to give me justice of the type that would attract the approval of God,” he said.
The octogenarian, who presented a book, titled, House of Exile, during the press conference, chronicled his experiences in 1984, his prison accounts, the nation’s democracy, and judiciary.
“The Federal Republic of Nigeria official gazette, No 56 of November 6, 1986, under Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Army officers, voluntary/compulsory and dismissal page 1,340 declares that I was compulsorily retired from the army. Under that condition, I should be entitled to my gratuity and pension. The army has denied me both.
“They claim I was dismissed. If that was the case, a letter to that effect would have been served on me, and the army would have withdrawn my officer’s sword, ceremonial dress, mess jacket and service suit. I received no letter, and am still in possession of the items mentioned above.
“Like president Buhari, I’m favoured by God. I fought through the tumultuous and terrifying period of my trial and more than seven years in incarceration, and I’m here, by the special grace of God, to ask for true justice. The world wrote me off, some claiming that I would not exit the jail house. How wrong they were. God Almighty fights for the innocent,” he said.