WorldStage– Military retirees on Tuesday, October 24, 2026, blocked the entrance to the Military Pensions Board (MPB) office in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, to protest against the formula used to calculate their pension adjustments.
The tense standoff ensued in Abuja as scores of aggrieved military retirees and veterans carrying out the protest used canopies and chairs to block access to the premises, while heavily armed soldiers took up positions to prevent the demonstrators from breaching the office compound.
The central grievance of the veterans involves the specific pension calculation formula adopted by the board.
The retirees argue that the newly implemented rates—consequential adjustments following recent salary upgrades for active-duty personnel—are fundamentally flawed.
According to the Coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, Lt. Col. Innocent Azubike, the computation method unfairly short-changes older retirees.
Protesters noted that the current structure creates a massive disparity where two personnel of identical rank and length of service receive vastly unequal payouts simply based on the year they retired.
The blockade marks an escalation in a series of demonstrations by ex-servicemen.
In September 2026, the veterans staged a massive protest at the Ministry of Defence. Following that action, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, publicly assured the veterans that their pensions would be successfully adjusted and increased by October.
While the MPB announced that it had commenced the payment of revised rates and minimum wage arrears earlier in the month, the actual distribution exposed severe disparities that triggered Tuesday’s emergency demonstration.
The veterans expanded their action to Tuesday after learning that the board had attempted to hold what they described as a “pre-arranged” meeting with select, unrepresentative veteran figures.
Fearing an imminent leadership handover at the board without their grievances being resolved, the retirees brought forward their planned demonstration to catch the authorities off guard.
As the protest ground activities at the Dutse Alhaji office to a halt, the ex-servicemen vowed to continue their agitation until the federal government orders a comprehensive review and audit of the pension computation system.
They maintain that after years of dedicated service to the nation, they deserve a fair and transparent system that ensures their dignity in retirement.
