Col Nasiru Salami (rtd), a 76-year-old Nigerian civil war veteran, has revealed his decision to prevent his children from joining the Nigerian Army, citing decades of neglect and poor treatment of retirees by military authorities. Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television program commemorating the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Salami recounted his harrowing military experience and the challenges faced by war veterans in Nigeria.
Enlisted in October 1967, Salami was sent to the battlefield after just six weeks of training to fight in the Biafra war. He served for 11 months, during which he lost his right foot, requiring amputation. Despite the injury, Salami returned to the battlefield to continue fighting. Now the Secretary of the Nigerian Legion, Lagos Chapter, he said his experiences and the poor welfare of retirees have made him advise his children against joining the Army.
“For now, I will never recommend any of my children to join the Nigerian Army,” he said. “I’ve told my two graduate children never to consider it. If they must join the armed forces, I’d rather they join the Navy or Air Force, where the welfare is reportedly better.”
Salami decried the failure of the Nigerian government to pay war bonuses promised to him and other veterans over 50 years ago. “We are asking for war bonuses, those of us who fought the war. I retired in December 1983, and they promised us heaven and earth, but up till now, we have not seen it,” he lamented.
The veteran also highlighted issues of unpaid pensions and other post-retirement benefits, calling on the government to fulfill its obligations to those who sacrificed their lives for the nation. With over 24,000 members in the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Legion, Salami’s story sheds light on the struggles of Nigeria’s war veterans and the need for improved welfare and recognition.
