RismadarVoice Reporters
October 13, 2026
Retired military personnel on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the Military Pensions Board office in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, protesting what they described as an unfavourable formula for calculating adjustments to their pensions.
The protesters positioned canopies and chairs at the entrance to the facility, demanding a review of the computation method used to determine their pension entitlements.
Armed soldiers were reportedly deployed to the premises and prevented the demonstrators from entering the board’s offices.
The protest followed an earlier demonstration by military retirees at the Ministry of Defence in September, during which they demanded corresponding pension increases following salary adjustments for serving military personnel.
Minister of Defence Christopher Musa had reportedly assured the retirees that pension increases would take effect in October.
However, the veterans expressed dissatisfaction with the formula adopted for implementing the adjustments, arguing that it did not adequately reflect the salary increases granted to serving personnel.
The Coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, Lt. Col. Innocent Azubike, accused the Military Pensions Board of applying a calculation method that disadvantaged some retired personnel.
Azubike said the demonstration was prompted by growing concerns among veterans over the implementation of the consequential pension adjustments.
According to him, the retirees expected the revised pension structure to reflect the relevant salary adjustments and provide equitable treatment across affected categories of retired military personnel.
The disagreement centres on how the pension increases are calculated and whether the formula adequately accounts for the revised remuneration of serving personnel.
The latest demonstration underscores the continuing dispute between military retirees and the authorities over the implementation of the promised pension adjustments.
As of the time of filing this report, the Military Pensions Board had not publicly provided a detailed explanation of the disputed calculation formula or announced any resolution of the protesters’ demands.
