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By Chinyere Anyanwu
A group of women under the aegis of Naval Personnel’s Widows have cried out over the prolonged delay of the payment of their late husbands’ group life insurance benefits.
The group’s spokesperson in Lagos, Helen Amodu, widow of Navy Captain Efe Amodu, who spoke to Daily Sun yesterday, said they were appealing to the Navy to intervene in the matter by prevailing on the Ministry of Defence to pay them their husbands’ entitlements.
Mrs. Amodu, who lamented the pitiable condition of many them, said: “We want our voice to be heard that we are suffering and crying. My husband died in 2015, 10 years ago, and up till now, I have not been paid his group life insurance benefits. A lot of widows have died without collecting this money. Some are sick, some of our children are out of school because we have no money to pay their fees. Some of us don’t even have accommodation.
“In 2023, it was in the news that President Bola Tinubu released N30 billion for the payment of group life insurance, but those of us under the Navy have not collected anything while those in the Army and Airforce have been paid. This group life insurance has not been paid to any of us for the past 15 years, some 12 years, some 10 years.”
The group’s spokesperson, who enumerated several efforts the widows had made to access their husband’s benefits, said they wrote a letter to the Chief of Naval Staff in May this year, appealing to him to assist them in getting the money. “There has not been any answer from him. A lot of us have gone to Abuja more than five times but all we hear are stories. They keep telling us to be patient that they will pay.
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“In January, I was at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja and it was still the same story. We are appealing to the Navy to help us beg the Ministry of Defence to pay us our husbands’ entitlements,” she stated.
Part of the letter written to the Chief of Naval Staff, which was made available to Daily Sun read: “We the widows of late naval personnel who lost their lives in active service to our great nation, respectfully write to bring to your esteemed attention the issue of the delay in the payment of their group life insurance benefits.
“Our beloved husbands served the Nigerian Navy with unwavering commitment, valour and patriotism. Their sacrifices in the line of duty were a testament to their dedication to protecting the sovereignty and security of Nigeria. Following their unfortunate demise, the burden of caring for our families has become even more daunting without the expected insurance support provided under service terms.
“We kindly appeal to your good offices to intervene and expedite the processing and release of the group life insurance benefits, which are critical for the welfare, education and general upkeep of the families they left behind. This gesture would not only provide the much needed financial relief but would also reinforce the Navy’s commitment to the welfare of its officers and their dependants.”
One of the widows, who also decried the delayed payment of their husbands’ benefits, Mrs. Agnes Awolor, said her husband, Lt. Commander Samuel Awolor, died during bandits’ attack at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 2021.
