JUST IN: Military retirees barricade pensions board entrance in Abuja

Retired military personnel on Tuesday blocked the entrance to the Military Pensions Board office in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, escalating their dispute with authorities over the calculation of pension increases following salary adjustments for serving military personnel.

The protesters barricaded the entrance with canopies and chairs, while armed soldiers prevented them from entering the premises, according to reports from the scene.

The demonstration marks renewed escalation in the pension dispute, weeks after retired servicemen protested at the Ministry of Defence over demands for corresponding increases in their retirement benefits.

Defence Minister Christopher Musa had assured the retirees that their pensions would be increased in October, raising expectations among veterans seeking improved payments.

However, the implementation of the adjustments has triggered renewed anger over the formula used to calculate individual entitlements.

The Coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, Lt. Col. Innocent Azubike, accused the Military Pensions Board of adopting a computation method that allegedly short-changed some retirees.

Azubike said dissatisfaction had grown among veterans over how the consequential pension adjustments were being implemented, with concerns that the calculations did not adequately reflect the salary increases granted to serving personnel.

At the centre of the disagreement is whether the adjustment formula produces fair outcomes for retirees, particularly those of similar ranks and years of service who left the military at different times.

The dispute has placed the board under renewed pressure to address veterans’ concerns and explain how the revised pension rates are being calculated.

The latest protest also highlights the continuing challenge of translating approved remuneration adjustments into pension payments acceptable to retired personnel, many of whom depend on their monthly entitlements for their upkeep.

The Military Pensions Board had earlier announced the commencement of implementation of revised pension rates and said applicable arrears had been processed, with payments to pensioners’ accounts beginning on October 2.

However, the announcement has not resolved the disagreement over the method used to determine the increases.

The standoff leaves the Defence Ministry and the Military Pensions Board under pressure to explain why the revised pension rates have failed to resolve the retirees’ grievances. Until officials address complaints about how the increases were calculated, the announcement of improved payments may do little to ease tensions.

The protesters’ central demand is whether the amounts credited to their accounts reflect the adjustments approved by the authorities. By taking their grievances to the entrance of the very institution responsible for their pensions, the retirees have turned a dispute over payment calculations into a direct challenge to the board’s handling of their entitlements.