ABUJA, December 6, 2024 – Retired military personnel brought operations at the Federal Ministry of Finance to a halt on Thursday, demanding the immediate settlement of their unpaid entitlements.
The retirees, who gathered at the ministry’s entrance, are protesting the non-payment of a 20% to 28% salary increment for the period from January to November 2024. They also voiced concerns over the delayed payment of palliative funds from October 2023 to November 2024, as well as the non-disbursement of a promised N32,000 increase to their pensions.
Among their other demands are the payment of the Security Debarment Allowance and the refund of deductions made from the pensions of soldiers medically boarded out of service.
One of the leaders of the protest, Col. Innocent Azubuike (retd.), expressed frustration over the situation, highlighting the severe hardship faced by military pensioners due to the government’s failure to meet its obligations.
“We were assured that our entitlements would be cleared in November, but we were later told that the payments could not be made due to a lack of cash backing,” Azubuike explained. “We were informed that approval had been secured, and the only thing remaining was the cash backing. November has passed, and there’s no indication of when this issue will be resolved, as it is now a matter for the Federal Ministry of Finance, not the Ministry of Defence.”
The protest at the Ministry of Finance underscores the growing dissatisfaction among military retirees, many of whom feel neglected by the government despite repeated promises of financial settlement.
