Retired Colonel Nasiru Salami, a 76-year-old Nigerian civil war veteran, has expressed his disapproval of his children joining the Nigerian Army due to what he termed as inadequate care for retirees.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief during the 2025 Armed Forces’ Remembrance Day, Salami detailed his military journey, starting from his enlistment in 1967 to his deployment to the Biafran War after only six weeks of training.
Having served for 11 months on the battlefield and enduring severe injuries, Salami revealed his struggles, including undergoing surgery to repair a damaged foot, which he attributed to the war.
Despite his service, he criticized the government’s failure to pay promised war bonuses and pensions, stating that over five decades later, he and other veterans are still awaiting these benefits.
“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,” he said
Salami, now the Secretary of the Nigerian Legion, Lagos Chapter, said, “I have two graduates now and I told them, ‘Never think of joining the army. If you must join, consider the Navy or Air Force, as they seem better treated.’”
He appealed to the government to prioritize the welfare of veterans and fulfill their long-overdue promises to those who served the nation. Salami also noted that the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Legion has over 24,000 members, many of whom face similar challenges.
