By RismadarVoice Media
December 9, 2025
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Idris Adamu (retd.) as the new Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB) effective December 1, 2025
A move the Presidency describes as a step toward restoring transparency, accountability, and efficiency in a system long plagued by controversy.
The appointment, contained in a statement issued by Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has already begun to stir reactions among military retirees who say their years of frustration demand more than another leadership change.
For decades, Nigeria’s military pension administration has been dogged by allegations of fraud, delayed payments, ghost beneficiaries, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Many ex-servicemen, some who fought during the civil war and others who served in more recent counterinsurgency operations have staged repeated protests at Defence Headquarters and the National Assembly, accusing the government of neglect.
Against this backdrop, Tinubu urged the new Chairman to demonstrate integrity, patriotism, and financial discipline.
“The appointment is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability, and efficiency in military pension administration,” the SGF’s office stated. President Tinubu charges the new Chairman to uphold integrity and deploy his financial expertise to improve the welfare of military veterans.”
But critics argue that past administrations have made similar promises without addressing structural loopholes, entrenched rackets that keep veterans waiting longer for their entitlements.
A respected senior officer from Borno State, Adamu brings a strong financial and administrative background to the new role.
His previous positions include:
•Directing Staff, Armed Forces Command and Staff College
•Deputy Director of Budget, Defence Intelligence Agency
•Principal Staff Officer (Finance), Air Warfare Centre
•Commander, 081 Pay and Accounting Group
•Director of Finance, NAF Headquarters
•Managing Director, Nigerian Air Force Investment Limited
•Directing Staff, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru
Supporters say his blend of financial expertise and military discipline makes him a strong candidate for reforming the troubled pensions system.
Skeptics, however warn that his success will depend on political will and institutional cooperation.
While the Presidency frames the appointment as a bold step, veteran groups are already asking uncomfortable but necessary questions:
• Will pension arrears be cleared?
• Will the board conduct a full audit of beneficiaries?
• Will the long-standing complaints of widows be addressed?
• Will the era of “ghost pensioners” finally end?
• Will digital systems replace manual documentation that fosters corruption?
Unless these issues are tackled head-on, observers fear Adamu’s appointment may simply continue a long pattern of changing leadership without fixing the underlying rot.
Nigeria’s military retirees represent some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens, who risked, and sometimes lost everything in service to the country.
As AVM Adamu assumes office, he faces a critical test: restoring trust in a system many veterans describe as “punitive, slow, and exploitative.”
For now, the nation watches to see whether this appointment marks the beginning of genuine reform or another administrative reshuffle in a sector where promises are plentiful, then results remain painfully scarce!
