By Christiana Afua Nyarko
Accra, Oct 13, GNA – Captain Ben Edmund Duah (Rtd), the Executive Director of the Veterans Administration, Ghana (VAG), has appealed to the Ministry of Defence to rationalise pension pay for some victims of PNDC rule, retired Lieutenant Colonels and lower ranks.
Capt Duah (Rtd), at a Military Band Concert and 2024 Poppy Appeal Launch in Accra, pleaded with Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Minister of Defence, to heed their calls and work on a pension packages for members who suffered under the erstwhile PNDC regime and those who attained the rank of Lt. Col, equivalent or below.
This, the Ghana Army Veteran stated, would go a long way to help the ex-service men, women and positively project the image of the current Defence Minister.
“…there are some two problems that keep haunting VAG. They are the plea for pension for some victims of the PNDC rule and the much-heralded request from veterans to the authorities to rationalise the pension pay for Lt Cols and below and their equivalents.
” I wish to make this passionate appeal to the Minister for Defence, Dominic Ntiwul, and the Armed Forces Council members to do all in their power to find a permanent solution to these nightmares”, he said.
Captain Duah, mentioned a series of activities geared towards the improvement of VAG’s finances, infrastructural projects and membership.
These included the recovery of lands lost with the help of the Ghana Armed Forces, issuance of ID cards for its members, development of application software in 2023 to fast-track processes of pension payment for military widows’, among others.
The musical concert, provided a platform to raise funds to support VAG’s projects such as construction of offices and other support centres nationwide.
Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, the Minister of Health and Guest of Honour at the concert pledged to heed VAG’s request to support their clinic at Amasaman.
The Minister pledged to allocate an ambulance and an amount of GHS 100,000 and to support to furnish the clinic with diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.
He urged Ghanaians to emulate that example.
The Veterans Administration, Ghana (VAG) was created and mandated by Act 844 of 2012, to run the affairs of retired military personnel in the country.
With a membership of about 19,000, it is made up mainly contemporary military veterans, their widows and a few surviving WWII ex-service men.
The association has presence in 10 regions of the country with 112 district offices and two active Legion Villages.
GNA