Retired soldiers suspend week-long protest as FG promises payment of entitlements

The week-long protest by retired soldiers at the gate of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja has been suspended after the federal government pledged to begin part-payment of their entitlements within the week.
By 3 pm on Monday, the veterans had dismantled their canopy and quietly dispersed from the ministry’s gate.
Leader of the protesting ex-servicemen, Retired Sergeant Ekundayo Alisame, told journalists that the decision followed a closed-door meeting with officials of the Ministry of Finance, the Military Pension Board, the Nigerian Army Welfare Insurance Scheme (NAWIS), and the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) department.

According to him, the government assured the veterans that payments would begin before the weekend. “They collected the names and promised that from now till the weekend, they will start to pay all those NAWIS, Benford, and whoever claimed not to have received some part of his payment,” Alisame said.
He noted that the veterans’ main grievance was with the payment chart used to calculate their benefits. The meeting, he added, also provided an opportunity to review outstanding issues concerning allowances and entitlements.

Alisame further appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to institute a transparent framework that would allow soldiers to know their entitlements before discharge, stressing that such reforms would prevent future disputes.
Alisame lamented that payment delays often force veterans into prolonged struggles to access what is rightfully theirs. “Right from the day my name is out, I was discharged, my money should be ready for collection. There is a collection that means from NAWIS, Military Pension Board, SDA to come in bulk, so that we can utilise that money and use it well,” he stated.
He added that officials clarified during the meeting that the ex-servicemen were not entitled to the new rate of payment. “They said we are not entitled to the new rate. That is our conclusion today,” he said.
With the government’s assurances, the retired soldiers suspended their protest, pending the commencement of payment later this week.