Retired military personnel disrupted operations at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Thursday over unpaid entitlements. The retirees accused the Federal Government of failing to pay the agreed 20% to 28% salary increase from January to November 2024.
Their demands included the outstanding payments for palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024, an additional N32,000 added to their pensions, the bulk payment of the Security Debarment Allowance, and the refund of deductions from the pensions of medically boarded soldiers, among other grievances. To highlight their cause, the protesters brought sleeping mats, chairs, and canopies to the protest site.
Col. Innocent Azubuike (retd.), one of the group’s leaders, expressed frustration over the situation, stating that the unpaid entitlements had caused severe hardship for military pensioners. He revealed that, despite prior assurances that their payments would be made in November, they were later informed that the payments could not proceed due to a lack of cash backing.
Azubuike said, “We were told that approval for the payment of our entitlements had been granted, with only cash backing pending. We were asked to be patient, with promises that our long-unpaid entitlements would be settled in November. Now, November is over, and there’s no indication of when this will be resolved, as it’s an issue with the Ministry of Finance, not the Ministry of Defence.”
