Some members of the Nigerian Armed Forces retirees under the umbrella of the Coalition of Military Pensioners in Abuja have shut down the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The retirees’ action on Thursday morning followed the non-payment of their 20% to 28% salary increment from January to November 2024.
According to Channels TV, the retired military officers from different chapters lamented the failure of the Federal Government to pay them their entitlements.
Their demands are payment of palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024, payment of N32,000 added to pension, payment of Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) in bulk and refund of deductions made from the pensions of medically boarded soldiers, among others.
One of the leaders of the group, Col. Innocent Azubuike (retd.), had lamented the plight of military pensioners, stating that their unpaid entitlements had caused untold hardship.
He stated that despite assurances that their entitlements would be cleared in November, they were informed that the payments could not be made due to a lack of cash backing.
Azubuike said, “We were told approval has been secured for the payment of our entitlements. The only thing remaining is cash backing.
“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.”
