In the early hours of Monday, retired military personnel barricaded the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance Abuja, in protest of their unpaid wages, preventing access into the premises by workers.
The protest which commenced around 7AM saw the retired men and women of the Nigerian army with placards protesting the non-payment of their gratuities, Security Debarment Allowance (SDA), parking allowance, and salary shortfalls.
The aggrieved ex-servicemen vowed not to leave the premises until a reasonable agreement has been met. During the protest, the Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB), Air Vice Marshal Adamu arrived to plead with the protesters to disperse, but they refused as they reiterated their demands.
When the protest persisted, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and other senior officials arrived and with selected members of the protesters, and Chairman of the military pension board, they entered into a closed-door meeting to discuss a way forward for the protesting men and women.
The resolve from the ongoing meeting is still unknown as of the time of this report. However, some of the protesters have vowed not to leave the venue until they are addressed by the Chairman of the military pension board.
