Retired military personnel took a bold stand on Tuesday, blocking the entrance to the Ministry of Finance in Abuja with canopies and chairs, effectively shutting down the ministry’s operations.
This drastic measure was a last resort, as the retirees are still waiting for their long-overdue entitlements, including a 20% to 28% salary increment owed to them from January to November 2024.
The protest is a continuation of a similar demonstration staged in December, where the retirees forced the ministry’s closure due to the government’s delay in settling their outstanding entitlements.
The retirees are demanding payment of their owed benefits, including palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024, an additional N32,000 to their pensions, and a refund of deductions made from the pensions of medically boarded soldiers.
Persecondnews reports that the retired military personnel have been left in limbo for months, despite securing official approval for their payment, as authorities continue to cite insufficient funds as the reason for the delay.
Following their protests in December, the Federal Government partially addressed the retirees’ concerns by paying 50 percent of their outstanding entitlements, with a promise to settle the remaining balance.
The retirees, however, said the government has reneged on its promise, leading to the renewal of their protests in demand of the outstanding payment.
Tuesday’s protest is not an isolated incident, as retired military personnel had previously staged a similar demonstration in September 2022.
Persecondnews recalls that some retired military personnel, comprising members of the Retired Members of Nigerian Armed Forces and the Coalition of Concerned Military Veterans, took to the streets on Monday, September 26, 2022, protesting at the Ministry of Defence in Abuja over unpaid allowances, including the Security Debarment Allowance.
The protesters had set up a tent, blocking access to the Ministry of Defence, located at Ship House on Olusegun Obasanjo Way in the country’s capital city.
They had staged similar protests in January 2022 at the ministries of finance, defence, and the National Assembly, demanding the payment of their entitlements.
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