Retired Military Personnel Block Finance Ministry, Abuja Over Unpaid Entitlements

Some Nigerian retired military personnel have barricaded the entrance to the Ministry of Finance in Abuja, the country’s capital city, with canopies and chairs, demanding the full payment of their long-overdue entitlements. 

ait.live report that Tuesday’s protest follows a similar action in December 2024, during which the retirees shut down the Ministry over the government’s failure to settle their claims. 

For months, the retirees were told there were no funds to clear their entitlements despite an official approval for payment. They are owed a 20% to 28% salary increment covering January to November 2024. 

The retirees are also demanding payments for other outstanding benefits, including palliatives for the period between October 2023 and November 2024, an additional N32,000 to their monthly pensions, a bulk payment of the Security Debarment Allowance, and a refund of pension deductions from the salaries of medically boarded soldiers.  

In response to their December protests, the Federal Government paid 50% of the owed entitlements and promised to settle the balance. 

However, the retirees claim the government has failed to fulfill its promise, prompting the resumption of their protests. 

At the Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja, the retirees erected canopies and placed chairs to block the gate, effectively preventing staff from driving into the premises and forcing many to park their vehicles outside. 

There is no official statement yet from the Nigerian Federal government on the latest development.

(Editor: Ken Eseni)