PARIS, JULY 29, 2016: (DGW) Contrary to general belief that soldiers who risk laying down their lives for the nation received fat salary and live large
, it has just be made know in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari written by officers of Nigerian Battalion 45 on a peace-keeping mission in Sudan.
In the letter below they recounted the hardship they have been passing through as a result of non-payment of their salaries and allowances which informed their interest and desire to write the letter below threatening President Muhammadu Buhari.
To Mr President,
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,
The Federal Republic of Nigeria.
We are officers and soldiers of Nigerian Battalion 45 (NIBATT 45 UNAMID) deployed on January 5, 2016 on a peacekeeping mission in Sudan.
Since our deployment, life had been so difficult for us. Even to communicate with our families has been a problem due to lack of finances.
The army has refused to pay us our allowances of $100 monthly since the beginning of the mission here in Sudan and this is the seventh months without payment.
Many of our soldiers undergo surgical operation due to poor feeding, no drug for us whenever we are sick. The only remedy for us when we are sick is to be referred to Pakistan hospital due to lack of drugs in Nigerian Contingent Level 1 Hospital.
We have been in this Mission in Sudan for seven months now yet our domiciliary account in Union Bank of Nigeria has only been credited with two months and 27 days salaries out of the 7 months so far.
We ask Mr President to look into this issue to make his anti-corruption campaign in the Armed Force a success. If nothing is done very soon, we will be force to take the law into our hands.
You would be better advised to pay us our salaries and allowances.
