Ex-soldiers on Wednesday protested at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Abuja over the non-implementation of pension adjustments and the alleged delay in applying approved salary-related benefits to retired military personnel.
The retirees arrived at the Defence Ministry to demand action from the Federal Government.
Their demonstration, however, was met by armed soldiers who reportedly blocked them from gaining access to the ministry premises.
One of the protesters said President Bola Tinubu approved a salary increase for military and paramilitary personnel in November last year, but complained that the corresponding adjustment had not been implemented.
“Since November last year, the President approved a salary increase for the military and paramilitary personnel, and it has been in the news everywhere.
“The military high command has continued to thank the President at every given opportunity, but this is August 2026 and they are yet to implement it.
“It’s as if it is a scam. This is Nigeria. We served for 35 years. The system is wrong,” he said.
The retirees are demanding that the authorities address what they described as an unacceptable delay.
Their complaint is coming at a time when the Federal Government has announced a fresh increase in military salaries.
The Presidency announced on August 4 that President Tinubu had approved a salary increase ranging from 30 per cent to 80 per cent for personnel of the Armed Forces. The new structure is expected to take effect from September 1, 2026.
Under the arrangement, personnel from the rank of private to staff sergeant are to receive an 80 per cent increase.
Warrant officers up to colonels are to receive 50 per cent, while brigadier-generals and generals are to receive a 30 per cent increase.
The package is expected to affect about 250,000 military personnel and raise the annual military wage bill from N660 billion to N924 billion.
In a related development, Retired soldiers had earlier threatened to stage a protest over the delayed implementation of an approved salary review for military personnel.
On July 2026, NaijaOnPoint reported that veterans of the Nigerian Armed Forces demanded the immediate implementation of the approved N250,000 minimum wage for military personnel.
The demand followed a meeting involving more than 70 retired military officers at the Armed Forces Headquarters Command Mess 1 in Abuja.
The retirees said the salary issue had gone beyond a routine administrative delay. They maintained that the review had already passed through the necessary legislative process and received presidential assent.
The veterans also complained that assurances given by military authorities had not translated into implementation.
Retired Colonel Innocent Azubike, one of the organisers, said military representatives who attended the meeting on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff received documents presented by the veterans.
“The five Generals that represented the CDS collected the papers presented by veterans and accepted that what the veterans said were facts,” he said.
The retired officers subsequently gave the authorities time to respond.
They said the situation became more troubling when officials allegedly began questioning the existence of the approved salary review.
Azubike said the veterans were particularly concerned because the Ministry of Defence and Service Chiefs had previously acknowledged the approval and had indicated that implementation would commence.
“Then suddenly, in July 2026, the CDS and the Ministry of Defence made a U-turn and started posturing as if there was no such pay increment,” he said.
The veterans also disputed claims surrounding the N100,000 minimum salary reportedly being paid to the lowest-ranked soldiers.
They maintained that the figure was connected to the implementation of the national minimum wage and should not be confused with the separate salary review for military personnel.
The disagreement became a major point of concern among retired and serving personnel.
The veterans subsequently threatened to take their protest to the Federal Ministry of Finance to demand explanations over the funds said to have been appropriated for the salary increase.
“We have clearly stated that we are determined to embark on a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance to find out what has become of the approved increment and the funds appropriated for it,” Azubike said.
The situation has since taken another turn following President Tinubu’s latest approval of the 30 to 80 per cent military salary increase.
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