By Monday afternoon, the veterans quietly dismantled their canopy and dispersed following a closed-door meeting with officials from the Ministry of Finance, the Military Pension Board, the Nigerian Army Welfare Insurance Scheme (NAWIS), and the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) department.
Leader of the group, Retired Sergeant Ekundayo Alisame, told journalists that the government collected the names of those yet to receive full payments and pledged to commence disbursement before the weekend.
He explained that the protest was mainly over discrepancies in the payment chart, noting that some retirees were paid using a July–December range, while his group fell within the January–June category. According to him, authorities admitted the error and assured correction.
The meeting also gave room to address other issues, including shortfalls in packing allowances and three months’ benefits in lieu of discharge.
Alisame appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct military authorities to adopt a transparent system that clearly spells out soldiers’ entitlements before discharge, stressing that delays often put veterans through avoidable hardship.
He also confirmed that the retirees were told they were not entitled to the new payment rate.
The development comes days after the veterans defied an order from Defence Headquarters to vacate the Finance Ministry gate, insisting they had the constitutional right to protest as civilians.
With the government’s assurance of payment this week, the protesting ex-servicemen have now suspended their action, expressing hope that the process will be carried out as promised.
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