Retired military retirees demonstrate outside the Finance Ministry about unpaid benefits

Thursday saw a large gathering of retired Nigerian soldiers who were protesting what they perceived as a delay in the release of cash to the Military Pensions Board (MPB) in order to settle their outstanding entitlements barricading the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.

They announced their intention to demonstrate when Ministry of Finance officials broke their prior promises to pay their benefits by August 10.

XANDERTECH reminds that on August 4, the ex-servicemen had met with officials from the military and finance ministries, who assured them that the payment backlog will be addressed. Following this discussion, they ceased a similar protest.

Mama G, one of the protestors who spoke to reporters, stated that the government’s inaction on its promises was the reason for the resurgence of the rally.

The unfulfilled promises are the reason we are here. We were compelled to go back to the streets. “The demonstration will be enormous this time,” she declared.

Protests by the elderly have taken place in Abuja and other cities in recent years, with demonstrators expressing frustration with the government’s handling of their pension payments and blaming officials for the delays.

There had been no response to the protest from the Ministry of Defence, Defence Headquarters, or the Military Pensions Board as of the report’s filing date.