Former military personnel are gearing up to renew their protest today, demanding the settlement of their overdue entitlements.
The retirees, who had previously staged a demonstration at the Ministry of Finance in December 2024 due to unpaid benefits, argue that the government has not followed through on its promise to clear their outstanding payments.
Their concerns revolve around a 20%-28% raise in salaries for the period between January and November 2024, unpaid relief packages from October 2023 to November 2024, an additional N32,000 pension increase, full payment of the Security Debarment Allowance, and the reimbursement of pension deductions from the salaries of medically retired soldiers.
Despite the approval for these disbursements, the government has cited limited funds as the cause of the delay.
During their protest in December, the Ministry of Finance managed to prevent further unrest by releasing 50% of the owed entitlements and assuring to pay the remaining amount before the year’s end.
However, in a conversation with a veteran leader, Chief Aliyu Umar, on Monday, he expressed disappointment that the government had not kept its word.
“We are prepared to demonstrate tomorrow. We have been misled,” Umar conveyed in a phone interview. “Remember our protest the last time? We were assured of a 50% payment that day and the balance by month-end. We got the 50% as promised, but nothing more since then.”
All attempts to communicate with the ministry have been fruitless. We have organized nationwide and will blockade the Ministry of Finance like we did before.”
Efforts to reach the Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Henshaw Ogubike, for remarks were unsuccessful at the time of this report.