Scores of retired military personnel, on Thursday morning, stormed the headquarters of the federal Ministry of Finance and shut down the place over non-payment of their entitlements by the government.
The retirees, who arrived at the protest ground as early as 7:30 a.m. with sleeping mats, chairs, and canopies, accused the federal government of not paying them a 20% to 28% salary increment from January to November 2024.
This was the second in the series of protests, coming less than 12 hours after another group of retired military personnel, under the aegis of the Ex-Service Men and Family Welfare Association of Nigeria, held a rally to demand payment of pension arrears.
Addressing journalists after they locked up the Ministry of Finance entrance, the leader of the protesting retirees, Colonel Innocent Azubuike (rtd), said non-payment of their entitlements has caused them untold hardship.
When asked why they took their protest to the Ministry of Finance instead of the Ministry of Defence, Azubuike said the Defence Ministry had concluded its part, adding that all necessary approvals had been given.
He said what remains is the cash-back of those approvals, insisting that they would continue to remain at the protesting ground until their demands are met by the government.
Among their demands, according to Colonel Azubike, include payments of their owed payments for palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024 and the payment of an additional N32,000 to their pensions.
Others are bulk payment of the Security Debarment Allowance, and a refund of deductions made from the pensions of medically boarded soldiers, among several other demands.
He said they had waited for 11 months for their dues before they resorted to protest.
The retired senior officer said that despite assurances that their entitlements would be cleared in November, they were informed that the payments could not be made due to a lack of cash backing.
According to him: “We were told to exercise patience and assured that our longunpaid 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.”
