Military retirees on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the Military Pensions Board office in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, protesting what they described as an unfair formula for adjusting their pensions.
The veterans placed canopies and chairs at the entrance, preventing access to the premises, while armed soldiers were deployed to stop them from entering the building.
The protest follows a similar demonstration at the Ministry of Defence in September, when retired military personnel demanded higher pensions after salary increases were approved for serving officers.
Defence Minister Christopher Musa had assured the retirees that their pensions would be adjusted in October.
However, the veterans have raised concerns over how the consequential adjustments are being calculated, arguing that the formula adopted by the pensions board does not adequately reflect the salary increases granted to serving personnel.
Speaking in an interview, the Coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, Lt. Col. Innocent Azubike, accused the board of using a calculation method that allegedly leaves some retirees short-changed.
Azubike said the planned demonstration was driven by mounting frustration among veterans over the implementation of the pension adjustments.
The dispute centres on whether the formula used by the board fairly translates salary increases for serving military personnel into corresponding pension benefits for retired members of the Armed Forces.
Tuesday’s protest highlights the continuing tension between military retirees and the authorities over the promised pension increases, despite assurances that the adjustments would take effect in October.
Further details are expected.
