Retired military personnel on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the Ministry of Finance in Abuja with canopies and chairs, demanding the full payment of their long-overdue entitlements.
This protest follows a similar action in December, 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.
A refund of pension deductions from the salaries of medically boarded soldiers, an additional N32,000 added to their pensions, a bulk payment of the Security Debarment Allowance, and palliatives for the months of October 2023–November 2024 are among the other unpaid benefits that the retirees are demanding be paid.
The Federal Government committed to settle the remaining amount after paying half of the entitlements that were due in response to their protests in December.
The pensioners have resumed their protests, however, because they believe the government has not lived up to its commitment.
Many employees were forced to park their cars outside the ministry in Abuja when the retirees set up canopies and chairs to block the gate, essentially prohibiting staff from driving inside.
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