MILITARY veterans on Tuesday protested at the Military Pensions Board (MPB) in Abuja, challenging what they described as an unfair application of recently approved pension adjustments and demanding a review of the calculation method used to determine their new entitlements.
The protesters, led by Lt. Col. Innocent Azubuike, coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, barricaded the entrance to the board’s office in Abuja, using canopies and chairs. Armed soldiers reportedly prevented the veterans from entering the premises.
The protest centres on the implementation of salary and pension adjustments approved following President Bola Tinubu’s decision in August to increase the salaries of serving Armed Forces personnel by between 30 and 80 per cent.
Under the approved salary structure, personnel from the rank of private to staff sergeant are to receive an 80 per cent increase, those from warrant officer to colonel a 50 per cent increase, while officers above the rank of colonel are to receive a 30 per cent increase. The new salary structure took effect on September 1, 2026.
The veterans contend that the corresponding adjustment to their pensions has not reflected those approved percentages.
Speaking during the protest, Azubuike alleged that the Military Pensions Board had adopted a formula that reduced the increases due to retired personnel instead of applying the approved percentages directly to the pensions they were already receiving.
“We have gotten presidential approval for the consequential allowance on the percentages allotted to various rank categories,” he said, arguing that the approved adjustment was not being reflected in veterans’ pension payments.
Azubuike said veterans had previously approached the Ministry of Defence in August after discovering that retired personnel were initially excluded from the salary-related adjustment. According to him, the ministry subsequently acknowledged the issue and included the retirees in the approved arrangement.
He, however, alleged that the pension board’s subsequent calculation method undermined the benefit of the adjustment by applying another formula based on the circumstances under which individual veterans retired.
The veterans maintain that their pension entitlements had already been determined according to their ranks and years of service at retirement and that the approved percentage increase should therefore be applied to their existing pensions without another calculation that, in their view, reduces the benefit.
Azubuike said the veterans’ association had records showing discrepancies in payments and estimated that about 100,000 military veterans were affected by the dispute.
Another protester, Master Warrant Officer Duru Augustine, described the situation as a betrayal of retired personnel who had served the country.
He said the veterans had previously protested at the Ministry of Defence on August 19 over their exclusion from the adjustment and recalled that Defence Minister Christopher Musa subsequently acknowledged their concerns.
Augustine also referred to a calculation chart reportedly provided by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), arguing that the Military Pensions Board should implement the approved percentages in line with the relevant framework.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of the board’s recent announcement that it had implemented new pension rates and processed arrears for military pensioners.
On October 2, the Military Pensions Board announced that the newly approved pension rates arising from the national minimum wage adjustment had been implemented and that applicable arrears had been processed for payment to affected pensioners.
The board subsequently held consultations with representatives of veterans’ associations on October 9 to explain the implementation of the new rates and address concerns raised by pensioners. According to the board, the representatives acknowledged the explanations and welcomed the opportunity for direct engagement.
On Monday, October 12, the board also met with officials of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to discuss the implementation of the new national minimum wage and its implications for retired members of the Armed Forces. The board said the implementation had been prioritised because of its impact on the welfare of military pensioners.
The latest protest therefore reflects an unresolved disagreement over how the approved pension adjustments should be calculated, rather than a dispute over whether a pension review has been initiated.
The veterans are demanding transparency in the computation of their new pensions and a recalculation where they believe the approved increases have not been fully reflected.
They also want the authorities to clarify the methodology used by the Military Pensions Board and ensure that any adjustment approved for retired personnel is implemented in a manner consistent with the government’s stated policy.
