Retired military personnel who staged a protest at the Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Tuesday have begun receiving payments for their long-overdue allowances following hours of disruption.
The retirees arrived at the ministry as early as 7 a.m., barricading its entrance with canopies and chairs, effectively preventing staff from accessing the premises. This action mirrored a similar protest in December 2024, during which the retirees shut down the ministry over unpaid entitlements.
The protesters demanded the settlement of several outstanding benefits, including a 20% to 28% salary increment for January to November 2024, palliatives for October 2023 to November 2024, an additional N32,000 pension increment, bulk payments of the Security Debarment Allowance, and refunds of deductions from the salaries of medically boarded soldiers.
Despite official approval for these payments, government representatives had repeatedly claimed that funds were unavailable. Following the December protests, the government paid only 50% of the entitlements and promised to settle the remaining balance—a promise it failed to fulfill, prompting Tuesday’s renewed demonstration.
Attempts by security agencies and senior ministry officials to persuade the retirees to leave the protest site were unsuccessful. The demonstrators insisted they would remain until they received bank alerts confirming their payments.
Shortly before payments were initiated, Air Vice Marshal Paul Irumheson, Chairman of the Military Pension Board, addressed the protesters, assuring them that funds had been transferred to the board for immediate disbursement.
“We have received the money for the payment of your entitlements, and in the next few minutes, you will start seeing your alerts. We plead with you to leave as we are making efforts to ensure everyone gets paid,” Irumheson said.
By the afternoon, representatives of the protesting retirees confirmed that payments had commenced. Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, spokesman for the Coalition for Concerned Veterans, expressed relief and announced the end of the demonstration.
“Our people have started receiving the alerts. We are now evacuating the ministry headquarters to return to our various homes,” he said.
Similarly, Aliyu Umar, another leader of the veteran community, questioned the government’s earlier claims of insufficient funds.
“Yes, we have started receiving our money. They said there was no money—so where did this come from? Do we always have to protest before we are given our entitlements?” Umar said.
As payments were confirmed, the protesters began dismantling the barriers they had erected at the Ministry of Finance entrance and peacefully vacated the premises.
