Tension gripped the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja on Monday as scores of retired Nigerian Army personnel barricaded the entrance in protest over the non-payment of their entitlements.
The peaceful demonstration, which began around 7 a.m., involved ex-soldiers who voluntarily disengaged from service in the third and fourth quarters of 2023 and officially exited the military on July 1, 2024. The protesters, comprising both men and women, blocked access to the ministry complex, leaving workers stranded for several hours.
Carrying placards and banners, the retirees listed several demands, including full payment of their gratuities and Salary Deductions Allowance (SDA) in line with the new national minimum wage, refunds from the military housing scheme, contributions to NAWIS/BenFund, and outstanding packing allowances.
“We served this country with our lives. This is not the kind of treatment we deserve after retirement,” said Corporal Umar Faruq (rtd.), an engineer among the protesters.
He alleged that the Military Pensions Board (MPB) had informed them they were not eligible for the revised minimum wage because their disengagement date preceded its implementation.
Efforts to disperse the crowd proved futile, even after the Chairman of the MPB, Air Vice Marshal Adamu, visited the scene to appeal for calm. The protesters insisted on firm commitments and the immediate release of their entitlements.
Later, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and other senior officials arrived and invited select representatives of the protesters, along with the MPB Chairman, for a closed-door meeting to address the issues.
As of the time of filing this report, the meeting was still ongoing. Some protesters vowed to remain at the premises until concrete assurances were given and payment alerts began to hit their phones.