The meeting between the management of the Military Pension Board (MPB) and the retired officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces to resolve the disagreement on the monthly pension ended in a stalemate yesterday as the veterans insisted that their newly approved monthly pay should be re-calculated. The deadlocked meeting came after the retired officers had shut down the main entrance of the board’s headquarters located in Dutse-Alhaji/Kubwa area of Abuja in protest over what they described as the board’s ‘miscalculation’ of their new monthly take-home and other entitlements. The protesters, led by one Innocent Azubuike, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel, arrived in their numbers as early as 8:30am, saying their action became imperative after they observed that the Board was trying to create unnecessary disparities in the pension structures and payments. Daily Trust reports that the military veterans were on Friday engaged by the Board chaired by Mikail Abdulraheem, an Air Vice Marshal, to clarify issues surrounding the implementation of the newly approved pension rates. The new rates came into existence after the retired military officers carried out a series of protests to press home their demands over what they called the stagnant nature of their monthly pay amid rising cost of living occasioned by inflation in the country. The spokesman of the MPB, Aliyu Mohammed, a Squadron Leader, had told journalists via a statement that the engagement provided an opportunity for the board to explain the implementation process. Mohammed noted that the board also addressed concerns raised by the representatives during the meeting, saying the gathering promoted a shared understanding of the new pension rates. “During the meeting, the representatives expressed their understanding of the explanations provided by the board and appreciated the opportunity to engage directly with them. “The discussions also reinforced the importance of continued dialogue, mutual understanding and the use of established communication channels to address pension-related concerns,” Mohammed said. Daily Trust reports that there was back and forth between the management of the board and the protesters’ representatives on Tuesday when the two parties met at a roundtable to resolve the issues. After several hours of dialogue, both parties stuck to their guns as the MPB urged them to show understanding. But the retired officers said they would not back down and might continue the protest if their demands are not met. Military retirees, yesterday, blocked entrance to the Military Pensions Board office in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, over unpaid entitlements. The issues Prior to the Tuesday protest, checks by our correspondent showed that the main issue borders on consequential adjustment implementation of retired military officers’ pensions. The protesting veterans argued that there were two germane issues that must be resolved immediately, which include re-computation of their monthly pay in line with retirees’ equal ranks and number of years in the service. They are also demanding a forensic audit of the MPB to ascertain what was released and what was actually utilised in the payment of the consequential adjustment. In August, the protesters laid siege to the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Defence in Abuja for days to demand immediate implementation of consequential adjustments to their pensions. The protesters, who retired on the rank of Colonel and below, demanded the inclusion of retired personnel in the consequential adjustment arising from recent salary increases for serving military personnel. President Bola Tinubu had in August approved a new salary scale for military men and officers, effective from September 2026, to bolster their performance across all theatres of operations in the country. The retired military officers said they should benefit from the increment, having served the country for 35 years. During the August protest, armed police officers and soldiers were drawn from the Guards Brigade, leading to a confrontation between the protesters and the security operatives attached to the ministry. The operatives prevented protesting retired military personnel from converging on the entrance of the ministry. The security operatives were heard threatening to open fire if the protesting officers crossed the line, saying they were acting on orders. Despite the threat, the protest went on for days before the minister finally brokered a truce. Similarly, in 2024, scores of retired military personnel stormed the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Finance and shut down the place over non-payment of their entitlements by the government. The retirees, who arrived the protesting ground as early as 7:30am with sleeping mats, chairs and canopies, accused the federal government of not paying them a 20% to 28% salary increment from January to November 2024. The fresh protest came less than 12 hours after another group of reti
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