Retired Soldiers Demand for Unpaid Pensions Through Protest

Military pensioners, on Wednesday, held a peaceful protest at the headquarters of the Ministry of Finance to demand the payment of their pension arrears.

The workers, numbering about 100, accused the ministry of refusing to release funds for the payment of the backlogs of their pensions.

They chanted solidarity songs, while displaying placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Pay us our pension’, and ‘Pension review should be based on 53.7 per cent effective from 2015’.

They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to authorise the payment of the 20.37 per cent balance of military pension increment since 2010, payment of balance of gratuities of contributory pensions with the National Pension Commission and the harmonisation of military pensions transparently and equitably.

Other demands are that government should audit and re-organise the Military Pension Board to make it transparent and friendly to veterans, payment of military pensions to verified civil war veterans, and engagement of military veterans in the protection of critical infrastructure.

They also demanded the payment of next-of-kin of fallen heroes equitable insurance benefits, and payment of balance of pension arrears of deceased veterans to Next-of Kin among others. Follow us on Instagram @sofovilla | Follow us on Twitter @sofovilla | Like our page on Facebook via @sofovillamedia