Mr Anthony Agbas, the president of the Ex-Service Men and Family Welfare Association of Nigeria, has urged the government to pay all their pension arrears and other entitlements.Agbas made the call during a peaceful rally by the ex-servicemen at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that military pensioners in the country had endured financial hardship and pain over the years.

“We were told the money has been approved for a long time, but we have not received anything.

“Our requests are: payment of our palliatives and their arrears from October 2023 to November 2024; payment of the 20 to 28 per cent salary increment and its arrears from January to November;

“We also request the payment of N32,000 flat rate and its arrears from July to November, payment of the new National Minimum Wage increment and the arrears from July to November, among others,” he said.

Agbas said that the association was an umbrella body made up of several associations of retired members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and their families.

He said that the main focus of the organisation was to cater to the welfare of these retired men and their families.

The association’s Vice President, Mr. Joseph Chinga, said that military veterans were patriotic citizens of the country.

“We love the country so much; it was our efforts that prevented this country from breaking up during the civil war.

“It is also our resilience and doggedness that prevented terrorists from taking over the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and some other state capitals in the country.

“Some of our colleagues lost their lives in trying to achieve this. We are not against the government but are only fighting for what belongs to us, as was announced by President Bola Tinubu,” Chinga said.

An official of the Ministry of Finance, who addressed the protesters, said that their request had been approved and was being processed.

THE GUARDIAN