Retired military personnel under the Coalition of Concerned Veterans have threatened to stage a peaceful protest at the Military Pensions Board in Abuja on Thursday over a disputed pension adjustment formula and alleged delays in settling outstanding entitlements.
The coalition, which comprises affiliated veterans’ associations, said it would mobilise retired military personnel from across the country for the protest if the board failed to provide a satisfactory response to its concerns before the scheduled date.
In a letter made available to PUNCH Online on Monday and addressed to the Chairman of the Military Pensions Board, Air Vice Marshal Mikail Abdulraheem, the coalition demanded an urgent review of the pension computation formula, an audit of affected payments, the recalculation of pensions where discrepancies were established, and the payment of outstanding arrears.
The letter, signed by the coalition’s Director at the CCV/REMENAF National Headquarters Liaison Office, Abuja, Blessing Alabala, was also copied to the Ministers of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, among others.
He said, “We hereby give formal notice of our intention, together with our affiliated veterans’ associations, to mobilise concerned veterans from across Nigeria for a peaceful and orderly protest at the Military Pensions Board, Abuja, at 0800 hours on Thursday, 15 October 2026, should the concerns raised in this letter remain unaddressed by a clear and satisfactory response.”
Alabala said their concerns arose from reports that the methodology being applied to retired military personnel differed from the percentage increases reportedly approved for serving personnel under the recent salary adjustment.
“Our concern arises from reports that the methodology being applied to retired military personnel’s pensions differs from the percentage increases reportedly approved by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for serving military personnel.
“This development has generated considerable concern among retired military personnel, particularly in view of the hardship experienced in 2024, when delays in implementing approved increments and settling outstanding entitlements contributed to dissatisfaction and protests among pensioners,” he stated.
According to him, the reported salary increases were 80 per cent for personnel from Private to Staff Sergeant, 50 per cent for those from Warrant Officer to Colonel, and 30 per cent for personnel above the rank of Colonel, including Brigadier-General and equivalent ranks.
The coalition, however, said information attributed to the MPB chairman at a consultative meeting on October 9 indicated that the pension adjustment formula reportedly being applied was based on years of service and rank.
Under the reported formula, pension adjustments comprise 40 per cent for 10 years of service, an additional two per cent for each additional year of service, a maximum of 90 per cent for 35 years of service, and 100 per cent for Major-General and equivalent ranks and above.
The veterans argued that the methodology could produce outcomes different from those expected under the applicable approvals and implementation directives.
They, however, clarified that their objection was not based on the assumption that every salary increase must automatically translate into an identical percentage increase in every pension calculation.
“Rather, we seek authoritative clarification of the relationship between the reported salary increases and the consequential pension adjustments, together with documentary evidence establishing whether the formula being applied is consistent with the approval of President Bola Tinubu and the relevant implementation directives,” the letter stated.
The coalition also questioned the basis for applying the reported service-year formula to the 2026 adjustment, asking whether the same methodology was used for the 2024 increment.
The veterans further called for a comprehensive review of pension computations affected by the disputed formula, insisting that any established errors, inconsistencies or underpayments should be corrected.
They also demanded that the board communicate the amounts due to affected pensioners, explain the computation methodology and provide a clear payment schedule for verified arrears.
Other demands include the publication of applicable pension computation guidelines, a transparent complaints procedure for pensioners disputing their payments, and an urgent consultative meeting with recognised veterans’ representatives.
On the planned protest, the coalition said it preferred a resolution through dialogue but would proceed with the demonstration if its concerns remained unaddressed.