Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has ordered the immediate payment of pension arrears, salary increases, and other entitlements to retired military personnel.
This directive follows a protest by pensioners under the umbrella of the Coalition of Military Pensioners, who occupied the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Thursday, halting office activities and demanding the release of their unpaid entitlements, which have been outstanding for 11 months.
Earlier in December, the retirees had threatened to embark on a massive protest if the government failed to meet their demands.
Speaking on behalf of the pensioners, Col. Innocent Azubuike (retd.), popularly referred to as Nass, told Investors King that the persistent delay in the payment of their entitlements, despite securing approval for the funds, had left them grappling with severe economic hardship.
Azubuike lamented that the government failed to honor its November deadline after months of waiting, forcing the pensioners to “take their fate into their hands.”
In a swift response on Friday, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, issued a statement through the Director of Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, Henshaw Ogubike, announcing that the payment of the arrears had commenced.
According to Matawalle, the payment followed the President’s directive, with many military personnel already receiving payment alerts.
“President Bola Tinubu released funds for the payment of pensions and other entitlements owed to retired military personnel on Thursday,” the statement read.
The Minister commended the President for his timely intervention and ongoing commitment to the welfare of military personnel. He assured the pensioners that their arrears would remain a priority.
Matawalle also credited the swift action to the support of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, while urging serving military personnel to remain steadfast in their duties.
He reiterated President Tinubu’s commitment to addressing insecurity in the country, stating, “Despite initial setbacks, rest assured that Mr. President will do everything within his power to uplift our military forces as they confront the challenges of insecurity.”