Some members of the Nigerian Armed Forces retirees under the umbrella of the Coalition of Military Pensioners in Abuja shut down the Federal Ministry of Finance on Thursday morning over the non-payment of their 20% to 28% salary increment from January to November 2024.
Their demands are payment of palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024, payment of N32,000 added to pension, payment of Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) in bulk and refund of deductions made from the pensions of medically boarded soldiers among others.
The retired military personnel, who travelled from various states, accused the federal government of failing to pay their 20-28 percent salary increase due between January and November 2024.
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Innocent Azubuike, one of the protesters, highlighted the hardship caused by the delays in payment.
“We were told approval has been secured for the payment of our entitlements. The only thing remaining is cash backing,” he said. “We were told to exercise patience and assured that our long-unpaid entitlements would be settled in November. November is gone, and there is no indication of when this will happen because it’s a matter with the FMoF and not the Ministry of Defence.”
In December 2023, the Senate announced plans to launch full investigation into the Military Pensions Board after it resumes from recess.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Olamilekan Adeola, made the announcement during the defence of the budget report by the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service.
During the session, an additional fund amounting to N20bn was requested for, towards the construction of a office building for the military pensions board, as well as the renovation of the phase 1 to 4 of the federal secretariat.
The Chairman questioned the operations of the board, its budget and the number of retirees who reportedly receive payment.
