Why My Children Won’t Join The Nigerian Army – 76-Year-Old War Veteran

A 76-year-old veteran of the Nigerian Civil War, Colonel Nasiru Salami (retd.), has expressed deep dissatisfaction with how the Nigerian Army treats its retirees.

Naijaonpoint reports that Salami’s sentiments were shared during his appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on the occasion of the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

Salami, who joined the Nigerian Army in October 1967, shared a moving account of his military journey, recalling how he was sent to the battlefield to fight in the Biafra War after just six weeks of training.

For 11 grueling months, he served on the frontlines during the civil war, which lasted from 1967 to 1970.

The retired colonel revealed that his service came at a heavy personal cost—he lost his right foot during combat, requiring amputation. Remarkably, despite his injury, Salami returned to the battlefield to continue fighting.

Reflecting on his experiences, Salami firmly stated that he could not, in good conscience, encourage his children to join the Nigerian Army.

The war veteran said, “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 added that he had advised his children to consider other branches of the armed forces. “I have two graduates now and I said to them: ‘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 I’ve been hearing about them because they are treated better’.”

Unpaid Benefits and Neglected Veterans

As the Secretary of the Nigerian Legion’s Lagos Chapter, Salami highlighted the plight of over 24,000 members, many of whom continue to suffer neglect.

He disclosed that he and other civil war veterans have not received their promised war bonuses, despite over 50 years having passed.

“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 that they would give us our war bonus but up till now, we have not seen it,” Salami lamented.

He also expressed frustration over unpaid pensions and the lack of proper post-retirement care for veterans like him.

Salami called on the government to address these issues, urging them to honor their commitments and improve the welfare of ex-servicemen and women who sacrificed so much for the nation.