by Nurat Uthman
Some retired military personnel grounded activities at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Thursday over their unpaid entitlements.
The retirees accused the Federal Government of not paying them a 20% to 28% salary increment from January to November 2024.
Among their demands are their owed payments for palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024, the payment of an additional N32,000 to their pensions, the bulk payment of the Security Debarment Allowance, and a refund of deductions made from the pensions of medically boarded soldiers, among other demands.
They brought sleeping mats, chairs and canopies to the protest ground.
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.”
