Retired Military Officials Protest in Abuja, Demand Pension Adjustment

A group of retired military personnel gathered in Abuja to protest what they describe as a significant disparity in their pension scheme, demanding a consequential adjustment to align with recent salary increments for active military and paramilitary staff. The veterans voiced concerns over their exclusion from these pay raises, which they believe infringes upon their rights.

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Since last November last year, Mr President approved the new salary increase for the military and the paramilitary; this is August this year; they have not implemented it as if it’s a scam, and then a new pronouncement comes up again.

Carrying placards, the retirees converged near the Ministry of Defence in Area 10, Garki. Security operatives, including police and soldiers, were present to manage the protest and prevent the demonstrators from reaching the ministry building. The pensioners stated that while the federal government approved a salary increase for military and paramilitary personnel in November 2025, this adjustment has reportedly not been implemented for retirees, despite acknowledgments from the military high command.

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We have paid our dues in patriotic service to this nation. There is a constitutional provision that when you increase the pay of any personnel, there should be a consequential allowance, consequential adjustment for pensioners.

Innocent Anas, a retired lieutenant colonel and one of the protesters, explained that the recent salary increase for active personnel has not been reflected in the pension structure for retired officers. "Since last November last year, Mr President approved the new salary increase for the military and the paramilitary; this is August this year; they have not implemented it as if it’s a scam, and then a new pronouncement comes up again," he said. He argued that this exclusion violates their constitutional and legal rights, citing provisions that mandate consequential adjustments for pensioners when active personnel receive pay raises.

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If you compute the fund requirement for implementing the most recent increase, and you exclude pensioners, you are depriving them of their constitutional and legal right, as enshrined in the Constitution and the Armed Forces Act.

"We have paid our dues in patriotic service to this nation. There is a constitutional provision that when you increase the pay of any personnel, there should be a consequential allowance, consequential adjustment for pensioners," Mr. Anas asserted. He emphasized that failing to implement these adjustments deprives retired personnel of their rights as enshrined in the Constitution and the Armed Forces Act. The protesters are seeking parity among personnel who served under the same military structure, regardless of their retirement date, to prevent significant disparities in pension amounts based solely on retirement periods.

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If they want to implement it by law, constitution, and the Armed Forces Act, there should be a consequential adjustment, that is, an increase in the pay of pensioners to meet up to par.