By Abdul Lauya
Military veterans in Nigeria are preparing for their third protest in 2025 over the continued non-payment of their pension arrears, which they claim are being disbursed in piecemeal to frustrate and impoverish them.
Despite assurances from the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMoF) and the Military Pensions Board (MPB), the arrears from January and February 2025 remain unpaid in full, leading to renewed frustration among the veterans.
Veterans were initially promised that the balance would be paid alongside the March 2025 pension, but the hope was dashed, and again in April and May, with no resolution in sight.
The spokesperson for the veterans, Col Nass Rtd, in a statement today in Abuja, said the issue lies squarely with the FMoF, particularly the Accountant-General’s office, which continues to practice economic tightening with the veterans’ meagre pensions.
He said that if they couldn’t pay the arrears before the just concluded Sallah, it is clear that the authorities have no intention to honour their obligation unless forced to do so.
“This is not a favour we are asking for,” Nass emphasized. “It is our statutory right, and it is being denied us in old age, after we gave our youth to this nation.”
He disclosed that the planned protest would be the third this year, following two earlier demonstrations that yielded only partial payments designed to frustrate and demoralize the veterans.
“The payments are being staggered deliberately so that by the time the balance comes, it is too little, too late, and of no real benefit to the struggling veterans,” another veteran who prefered anonymity said.
Veterans argue that while they are forced to beg for their dues, billions of naira are speedily approved and disbursed for National Assembly lawmakers in the form of jumbo salaries, luxury cars, and wardrobe allowances.
This glaring disparity, they claim, shows where the government’s priorities lie, and it is not with those who risked their lives defending Nigeria.
Eye Reporters report that many of the affected retirees are either bedridden, physically deformed, hypertensive, blind, or too frail to sustain themselves, depending on these pensions as their only means of survival.
Col Nass rtd who enjoyed wide followership especially among the other ranks, said veterans are now preparing for a massive march to the FMoF headquarters and warned that unless the government do the needful before end of next week, “we will mobilize and will not leave the FMoF until we receive payment alerts.”
The immediate hurdle, he noted, is logistics funding, with past donations nearly exhausted, calling for immediate fresh donations to execute the plan as soon as possible.
“This is the last straw,” Nass added. “If we don’t act now, we can forget about ever receiving what is rightfully ours.”
Efforts to obtain a response from the Chairman of the Coalition of Military Veterans (CCV), Air Commodore Femi Oguntuyi (Rtd), proved abortive.
However, the spokesperson for the CCV, Biodun Herberts, informed Eye Reporters that he was aware that the Chairman of the MPB was supposed to meet with the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) before Sallah, but the meeting was unsuccessful.
Herberts stated that the meeting has been rescheduled to occur after Sallah, expressing hope that the arrears would be paid by the end of the new week.
However, veterans are questioning the necessity of a physical meeting with the AGF before funds are released, as the CCV spokesperson had previously informed the veterans’ community that the Minister of Finance had already approved the payment.
Veterans criticized senior military officers still in service for their silence, accusing them of enabling the government’s neglect through complicity or indifference.
“One day, they too will retire and face this same humiliation, unless they speak out and act now to defend those who paved the path before them,” another angry veteran told Eye Reporters.
Analysts say the recurring protests reflect a disturbing pattern in Nigerian governance, where action is taken only under duress, and those who served the country faithfully are treated as disposable once they are out of uniform.
Veterans are calling for an urgent end to the cycle of broken promises and delays, urging the government to restore dignity and justice to those who sacrificed everything in service of the nation.
