Military Veterans Occupy Finance Ministry Over Unpaid Benefits

Retired military personnel on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, demanding full payment of their long-overdue entitlements.

This protest which saw the veterans barricading the ministry with canopies and chairs, follows a similar action in December during which the retirees shut down the ministry over the government’s failure to settle their benefits after serving the nation.

The retirees have been told over time that there were no funds to clear their entitlements, despite an official approval for payment.

The retirees are said to be owed between 20 to 28 percent pension increment covering January to November 2024.

The veterans are also demanding payments for other outstanding benefits, including palliatives for the period between October 2023 and November 2024, an additional N32,000 added to their 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 that the government has failed to fulfill its promise, prompting the resumption of their protests.

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