Angry retired soldiers barricaded the Finance Ministry in protest over the government’s failure to pay their entitlements.
Angry retired soldiers barricaded the Finance Ministry in protest over the government’s failure to pay their entitlements.
A crowd of retired military pensioners barricaded the main entrance to the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Monday to protest the non-payment of their statutory entitlements.
The angry-looking military retirees erected canopies at the main entrance to the ministry to express their anger against the federal government and pressed home their demand for immediate payment of outstanding shortfalls in their gratuity, Security Debarment Allowance (SDA), and Parking Allowance.
The visibly hungry, tired, yet fierce-looking, the retirees rebuffed a spirited effort by a senior military officer to try to pacify them. They insisted that their demands must be met before any dialogue could commence.
One of the leaders of the protest, Corporal Umar Faruq (rtd), expressed regrets over alleged Pension Board’s deliberate neglect of the retirees who had given all their youthful energies to the service of the nation.
Faruq stated that the Military Pensions Board had informed them that they were not entitled to the new national minimum wage adjustments, citing their disengagement date of July 1, 2024 as the basis.
He explained, “This is unacceptable. We gave our best years to the nation. Many of us are suffering while the system continues to deny us what is rightfully ours.”
A protester who identified himself as Mohamed Kabiru, a retired Sergeant, narrated the sordid state of many ex-soldiers after years of loyal service.
Kabiru said, “They didn’t pay us our full money. They promised us a parking allowance; they didn’t pay it. We gave our lives for this country, yet we are treated as if we don’t matter.”
Questioning the value the federal government attached to the sacrifices of serving and retired personnel, Kabiru stated that the mouth-watering rewards to the Super Falcons for winning the 2025 AFCON showed that the government prioritised entertainment over the sacrifices of military retirees.
“I carry iron in my body from injuries sustained while in service. But they pay millions to athletes for 90 minutes of play and ignore us, who risked everything,” Lawrence Yusuf, a retired Warrant Officer, who served in the military for 31 years, said.
Yusuf said he received only N6.8 million as his gratuity, a sum he said could not buy a plot of land in Nigeria today.
According to him, “After three decades of sacrifice, this is what I get? It’s disgraceful. They also refused to pay our SDA and other entitlements.”
The protesters claimed the government was using a 2019 salary structure to compute their payments, despite adjustments made to the national minimum wage and military allowances since 2024.
They stressed that the outdated payment system had been a key part of their frustration. The protesters also decried being pressured to leave military barracks without receiving the packing allowance meant to facilitate their relocation.
“They didn’t pay us the money to move out, yet they’re evicting us,” one of them further lamented.
Noting that this systemic neglect had gone on for generations, the protesters said, “They did this to our fathers and older brothers in the military. If we don’t speak up now, the same injustice will continue with the next generation.”
While the protest caused temporary disruptions at the finance ministry, the Permanent Secretary for Special Duties finally addressed the angry protesters.
Speaking on behalf of Minister of Finance and the Economic Coordination Team, Edun, he acknowledged their grievances and assured them of the government’s willingness to resolve the matter.
“You are entitled to these benefits. I give you my word, we will sit with your leaders and find a solution. We have acted on similar issues before and will do so again,” he stated.
Despite the assurances, the protesters vowed to continue their advocacy until their demands were fully met.
They stated their demonstration was not just for themselves, but to prevent future military retirees from experiencing the same injustice.
“We are federal workers. We gave everything to this country. If nothing is done now, national morale and security will suffer,” one of them said.
They called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene directly and ensure that the rights and sacrifices of Nigeria’s retired military personnel were not ignored.
But when contacted, Public Relations Officer, Military Pension Board, Sqn Ldr. Ahmed Mohammed, blamed the protest on a breach of communication between the authorities and the protesting retirees.
He stated that some of the issues raised by the retirees fell outside the mandate of the Military Pension Board.
“For instance, the issue of parking allowances has to do with the respective services. Our brief is basically to pay pensions and gratuities. The Security Debarment Allowance is for the Defence Headquarters, so it is also not the Military Pension Board’s responsibility.
“The shortfall they are claiming is not the fault of the authorities because they retired when the budget for the fiscal year was already running and the new minimum wage was not captured in the budget.
“So there was no way they would have been paid when there was no running budget for the new minimum wage. But those who retired after them were paid up to date because the new minimum wage was already captured in the budget when they exited from service.”
He, however, assured that the shortfall was being processed by the relevant government agencies and would be paid as soon as it was ready.
He regretted that the retirees had chosen to protest instead of engaging with the relevant authorities to find out the true state of affairs regarding their grievances.
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