Many retired soldiers have protested unpaid entitlements, demanding immediate payment of outstanding shortfalls in their gratuity, parking allowance and Security Debarment Allowance (SDA).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first and second quarter voluntary discharged soldiers of 2023, who disengaged from the army in February 2024, barricaded the main gate of the Federal Ministry of Finance yesterday in Abuja.
Retired Corporal Eze Moses said they were fighting for their entitlements.
“We served the Army for years, and our entitlements have not been paid. We don’t want to be tempted to commit a crime.
“If almost 1,000 of us should go and carry arms, I think the country will turn to slavery, and we don’t want that; we want to beg for our entitlements to be paid,” Moses said.
Staff-Sergeant Simeon David said they had been short-paid for some time now.
“Instead of them calculating it well with the new rate, they used the old rate.
“They have been promising to pay, and we have been waiting patiently to see what they were going to do. Up till now, we have not heard from them. So, we have to come and see by ourselves,” he said.
Corporal Umar Umar said the Military Pensions Board informed them they were not entitled to the new national minimum wage adjustments, citing their disengagement date of July 1, 2024, as the reason. “This is unacceptable. We gave our best years to the nation.
“Many of us are suffering while the system continues to deny us what is rightfully ours. This is a deliberate neglect,” Umar said.
Reacting to the demands of the soldiers, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, assured them that the government would look into their demands.
It will be recalled that retired police men and officers engaged in a public protest to let the authorities know about their plight.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
