The week-long protests by retired soldiers at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters Abuja has ended as the Federal Government has assured them that their entitlements will be paid this week.
Following the reassurance, by about 3:00pm on Monday, the protesting ex-servicemen had quietly dismantled their canopy and dispersed. This was after a meeting with officials from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Military Pension Board (MPB), the Nigerian Army Welfare Insurance Scheme (NAWIS), and the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) department.
Leader of the protesting ex-servicemen, Sergeant Ekundayo Alisame (rtd), confirmed that the government’s assurance followed a closed-door meeting where veterans presented their grievances.
Alisame told journalists that the government had collected the names of those who had not received full payments and promised that the payments would commence before the weekend.
“They collected the names, and they promised that from now till weekend, they will start to pay all those NAWIS, Benford, and whosoever that claimed not to have received some part of his payment,” Alisame said.
The retired soldiers had been protesting the payment chart used to calculate their benefits. Alisame explained that there was a discrepancy in the chart, with some retirees receiving payments based on a July to December range, while others, including those in the veterans’ group, should have been paid within the January to June range.
“What we agreed on, what the authority told us today, is that the chart being used to prepare our benefits is not supposed to be so. Because we have a chart that started from January to June, while some started from July to December. And they told us that we fall within the range of January to June. That is just our bone of contention,” Alisame said.
The meeting also allowed the veterans to address various outstanding issues with relevant departments, including the Military Pension Board, SDA, and NAWIS.
These issues ranged from shortfalls in packing allowances to the payment of three months in lieu of benefits.
Alisame also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to instruct military authorities to create a transparent system that clearly outlines soldiers’ entitlements before their discharge.
He suggested that soldiers should know their benefits as soon as they enter the service, ensuring that such payment delays do not recur.
“I appeal to President Tinubu to tell the military authorities that the day anybody is shortlisted into the system, you should be able to know, if I serve five years, this is my entitlement. So that all this mess will not come again,” he said.
Alisame further lamented that delays in payment often forced veterans into prolonged struggles to access their rightful entitlements.
“Right from the day my name is out, I was discharged, my money should be ready for collection. There is a collection that means from NAWIS, Military Pension Board, SDA to come in bulk, so that we can utilise that money and use it well,” he said.
The meeting also clarified that the retired soldiers were not entitled to the new payment rate.
“They said we are not entitled for the new rate. That is our conclusion today,” Alisame stated.
Earlier on September 6, 2025, The PUNCH had reported that retired soldiers protesting unpaid entitlements vowed to continue their demonstrations at the Ministry of Finance in Abuja, rejecting an order from the Defence Headquarters directing them to vacate the premises.
The ex-servicemen, who have staged multiple protests in recent months, accused the military authorities of diverting funds meant for their allowances and gratuities.
They argued that as civilians, they are no longer bound by military law and therefore have the constitutional rights to stage peaceful demonstrations.
However, following the government’s promise to begin payments later this week, the protesting soldiers suspended their protest, confident that the payment process would soon be underway.
Written with reports from The PUNCH
