The Coalition of Military Pensioners has shut down the federal ministry of finance building in Abuja over unpaid entitlements.
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.
They are also demanding the payment of palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024, the payment of N32,000, the security debarment allowance (SDA), and a refund of deductions from the pensions of medically boarded soldiers.
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 January 2023, the military pensions board (MPB) blamed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and commercial banks for delays in paying the SDA.
This isn’t the first time retired military officers have protested. In 2022, the Retired Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces (REMENAF) and the Coalition of Concerned Military Veterans (CCV) picketed the Ministry of Defence in Abuja over similar issues, including unpaid allowances.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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