By Charles Pemu 
Abuja — Tensions flared in the heart of Abuja on Monday as dozens of retired soldiers barricaded the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance to protest the non-payment of their gratuities and allowances.
The aggrieved ex-servicemen and women, many of whom retired voluntarily in 2024, arrived at the ministry as early as 7:00 a.m., effectively grounding operations and leaving workers stranded. Their demands include the payment of gratuities, Security Debarment Allowance (SDA), parking allowance, and arrears from salary shortfalls.
Carrying placards with bold inscriptions such as “We are living heroes, not to be celebrated only when we’re gone” and “Pay us our benefits—gratuity, SDA, parking allowance, and four months’ salary cuts”, the protesters said they had exhausted all formal channels before resorting to the street action.
Despite the intervention of the Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB), Air Vice Marshal Adamu, the protesters refused to vacate the premises, demanding concrete assurances.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and senior officials later arrived, inviting selected protest leaders and the MPB Chairman for a closed-door meeting to resolve the standoff.
As of press time, the meeting was ongoing. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one protester, Corporal Umar Faruq (rtd.), claimed the MPB had told them they were not eligible for the new minimum wage since their disengagement took effect on July 1, 2024.
“We are not leaving until we hear directly from the MPB Chairman that our funds have been released and alerts are on the way,” another protester declared.