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| Zig Diaries Photo |
Veterans of
Nigeria’s armed forces brought activity at the Federal Ministry of Finance to a
standstill on Monday, staging a defiant protest over unpaid entitlements they
say are long overdue.
Zig
Diaries Defence
Date: Monday, 04 August, 2025
Time: 11:35 WAT
Location: 📍Abuja, Nigeria
Retired military personnel protested in Abuja, demanding outstanding payments including gratuity and Security Debarment Allowance.
In a rare public demonstration of frustration, dozens
of retired Nigerian military personnel—men and women—barricaded the entrance of
the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Monday, protesting what they
described as persistent delays in the payment of their rightful entitlements.
Clad in partial military regalia and
carrying placards, the ex-servicemen blocked access to the ministry, disrupting
official activities and drawing the attention of security forces and passersby.
Their demands include outstanding gratuity,
Security Debarment Allowance (SDA),
and parking allowance.
Despite the intervention of a senior
officer—an Air Vice Marshal—the protesters refused to back down, insisting that
no negotiation or dialogue would take place until the government began
disbursing their entitlements.
Engineer and Retired Corporal, Umar Faruq, who spoke on behalf of the
group, said, “This is unacceptable. We gave our best years to the nation. Many
of us are suffering while the system continues to deny us what is rightfully
ours.”
Faruq also revealed that the Military Pensions Board had informed
them they were not eligible for the recent national minimum wage adjustments
because their disengagement date was marked as July 1, 2024.
As the protest gained momentum, the Permanent Secretary for Special Duties
addressed the gathering and assured the crowd that the government was reviewing
their complaints and would act in due course. However, no official response had
been issued by either the Ministry of Finance or the Military Pensions Board at
the time of filing this report.
The demonstration reflects growing
dissatisfaction among veterans, many of whom feel neglected despite years of
dedicated national service.
🏷️Tags: Nigeria military veterans, Defence News, Abuja
protests, Ministry of Finance, military entitlements
#VeteransProtest #MilitaryEntitlements #NigeriaNews #AbujaUpdates #ZigDefence
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