Many retired Nigerian soldiers on Thursday blocked the entrance to the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, protesting the alleged delay in releasing funds to the Military Pensions Board (MPB) for the payment of their outstanding entitlements.
The ex-servicemen said they decided to resume the protest after officials of the Ministry of Finance failed to fulfil earlier promises that their benefits would be paid by August 10.
It is worth noting that the retired soldiers had previously suspended a similar protest on August 4 following a meeting with officials from the ministries of defence and finance, during which they were assured that the backlog of payments would be settled.
Speaking to journalists, one of the protesters simply identified as Mama G, said the renewed demonstration was prompted by what she described as the government’s failure to act on its commitments.
“We are here because the promises made to us were never fulfilled. We had no choice but to return to the streets. This time around, the protest will be massive,” she said.
The senior citizens have, in recent years, staged several protests in Abuja and other cities, lamenting delays in payment of their military pensions and accusing authorities of neglect.
At the time of filing this report, the Ministry of Defence, Defence Headquarters, and the Military Pensions Board had yet to respond to the protest.
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