Retired military personnel who staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Monday have temporarily suspended their demonstration after ministry officials assured them their outstanding entitlements would be paid by Friday.
The ex-servicemen, who had earlier blocked the ministry’s entrance with a canopy and chairs, demanded the immediate payment of their arrears.
Their protest follows closely behind similar demonstrations by serving police officers across several states, who are pushing for removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme, which they say is exploitative and insufficient. The officers want a return to the former defined benefits system.
Speaking to the press after the meeting with government representatives, one of the protest leaders, a retired sergeant known as Mama G, said they would wait until the end of the week to see if the government keeps its promise.
“They assured us that payment will be made by Friday. We’re giving them the benefit of the doubt. But if we don’t receive alerts by then, we will return here in larger numbers,” she warned.
