The Coalition of Military Pensioners on Thursday sealed off the Federal Ministry of Finance building in Abuja to protest the non-payment of their entitlements.
The retired military officers, who traveled from various states, accused the federal government of failing to pay their 20–28 percent salary raise for the period spanning January to November 2024.
Their demands include the payment of palliatives for October 2023 to November 2024, the disbursement of a N32,000 allowance, payment of the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA), and the refund of deductions from the pensions of medically discharged soldiers.
Innocent Azubuike, one of the protesters, decried the hardship caused by the delay.
“We were told that approval has been secured for the payment of our entitlements. The only thing left is cash backing,” he said.
“They assured us that our long-overdue entitlements would be paid in November, but November is gone, and there is no indication of when this will happen. This matter is with the Ministry of Finance, not the Ministry of Defence.”
In January 2023, the Military Pensions Board (MPB) attributed the delay in paying the SDA to challenges involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and commercial banks.
This is not the first time retired military officers have staged protests over unpaid benefits. In 2022, retired members of the Nigerian Armed Forces (REMENAF) and the Coalition of Concerned Military Veterans (CCV) picketed the Ministry of Defence in Abuja over similar issues.
