Military retirees on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the Military Pensions Board office in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, protesting against what they described as discrepancies in the calculation of their revised pensions.
The veterans blocked access to the premises with canopies and chairs, while armed soldiers prevented them from entering the facility.
The protest followed weeks of disagreement between retired military personnel and the authorities over the implementation of pension adjustments approved after salary increases for serving military personnel.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, had assured the retirees in September that their pensions would be increased in October.
Although the Military Pensions Board subsequently announced that it had begun implementing the revised rates and processing arrears, the retirees said the calculation method had left some pensioners dissatisfied.
The Coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, Lt Col Innocent Azubike, accused the board of applying a formula that allegedly short-changed some retirees and created disparities among personnel of the same rank and years of service.
“Over 90 per cent of veterans have been criticising and attacking them on that issue,” Azubike said ahead of the protest.
He also faulted a consultative meeting held between the board and some veterans, arguing that the participants did not adequately represent the wider community of retired military personnel.
According to him, the meeting, which was reportedly convened at short notice, heightened discontent among veterans after some participants expressed satisfaction with the board’s actions.
Azubike explained that the dispute centred on how consequential adjustments were calculated following increases in the salaries of serving personnel.
He cited an example of two retired soldiers of the same rank who each served for 35 years but could receive different pensions because they retired at different times.
Using a hypothetical example, he said a soldier who retired in October 2025 on a monthly salary of N100,000 would be entitled to a pension of N90,000 at a 90 per cent rate.
With an 80 per cent adjustment, he argued that the pension should rise by N72,000 to N162,000 monthly.
However, he alleged that the board’s method would produce an increase of N64,800, bringing the pension to N154,800.
He said the difference raised questions about the fairness and consistency of the computation method.
The association is demanding a review of the formula and a forensic audit of the board to establish the funds released for pension adjustments and how they were utilised.
The board, however, has reiterated its commitment to implementing approved pension adjustments.
Its chairman, Air Vice Marshal M. Abdulraheem, gave the assurance on Monday when he received a delegation from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission at the board’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to a statement by the board’s spokesman, Squadron Leader Aliyu Mohammed, the meeting focused on the implementation of the new national minimum wage and its implications for military retirees’ pensions.
Abdulraheem said the board was committed to ensuring that pensioners “benefit fully from approved wage and pension adjustments”.
The delegation was briefed on procedures for reviewing pension entitlements, validating records and ensuring that approved adjustments were reflected in payments.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Concerned Veterans has threatened a separate protest at the board’s headquarters on Thursday, October 15, if its demands are not addressed.
In a letter to the board chairman, the coalition demanded an urgent review of the pension computation formula, an audit of affected payments, recalculation where discrepancies are established and payment of outstanding arrears.
The letter, signed by the coalition’s Director at the CCV/REMENAF National Headquarters Liaison Office, Abuja, Blessing Alabala, said the reported method of adjusting retirees’ pensions differed from the percentage increases announced for serving personnel.
The coalition cited reported increases of 80 per cent for personnel from Private to Staff Sergeant, 50 per cent for Warrant Officers to Colonels and 30 per cent for officers above the rank of Colonel, including Brigadier-Generals and equivalent ranks.
It said information attributed to the board chairman at a consultative meeting on October 9 suggested that the pension adjustment formula took rank and years of service into account.
The coalition stressed that it was seeking clarification and a review of the methodology rather than assuming that every salary increase must automatically translate into an identical percentage increase in every pension calculation.
It said it preferred dialogue but would mobilise veterans from across the country for a peaceful demonstration if the board failed to provide a satisfactory response before Thursday.
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