…Vets in camo block ministry gates, demand overdue allowances
..Soldiers reject negotiation offers, say they must be paid first
…Armed military personnel deployed as ministry activities paralysed
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
A group of retired army personnel on Monday shut down activities at the Federal Ministry of Finance Headquarters in Abuja in a dramatic protest against the prolonged nonpayment of their statutory entitlements, including gratuities, Security Debarment Allowance (SDA), and wage palliatives.
The protest, staged by members of the 1st and 2nd Quarters Voluntarily Discharged Nigerian Army Retirees, drew heavy attention as the aggrieved veterans barricaded the main entrance of the ministry complex, denying staff and visitors entry.
Several of the ex-servicemen, visibly furious, wore military camouflage and held placards demanding urgent settlement of over 43 months of unpaid allowances.
It was gathered that official duties inside the ministry were completely paralysed as the gates remained shut while the ex-soldiers chanted protest songs and resisted attempts to disperse them.
“We have been abandoned. We were discharged with promises, but those promises have not been fulfilled. We are living heroes being treated like beggars,” said Sergeant Augustine Agommo (rtd), one of the protesters, in a voice shaking with emotion.
“The Military Pensions Board told us we are not entitled to the minimum wage adjustment because we left service on July 1, 2024. That is unacceptable.”
According to Agommo, the protest was triggered by what he described as “years of deception and official neglect” despite the retirees’ dedicated service to the country.
He stated that many of them are unable to feed their families or access proper medical care because their entitlements have not been paid.
“We deserve better. We sacrificed our youth for the nation. Is this how a country repays its soldiers?” he lamented.
Efforts to quell the protest by senior military personnel met stiff resistance. A high-ranking officer, identified as an Air Vice Marshal, was dispatched to engage the protesters in dialogue.
However, the veterans refused to yield, insisting that no negotiations would be entertained until all their arrears and SDA entitlements are paid in full.
Ministry officials confirmed that security operatives, including armed soldiers, were stationed around the perimeter of the ministry building to forestall any breach of peace.
READ ALSO: IPOB Killed Two Soldiers in Enugu – Army
As of the time of filing this report, normal activities had yet to resume at the headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance and the Military Pensions Board have remained silent, with no official statement issued in response to the protest or the retirees’ demands.
The protesting soldiers are also demanding the full disbursement of their parking allowance, wage award, and gratuity differentials.
Several placards read: “We are not ghosts, pay us now!” and “Dead heroes get national honour; living heroes get national neglect.”
