By Matthew Denis
The Defence Headquarters on Thursday expressed concern over the continuous protests by some discharged soldiers at the Federal Ministry of Finance, noting that their actions are obstructing civil activities of the Federal Government.
The headquarters has ordered the soldiers to vacate the premises of both the Federal Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Finance. Nigerian military authorities warned that “their action is seriously affecting the smooth conduct of activities at the Ministry of Finance.”
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, while briefing journalists at the monthly session, said that although the military authorities acknowledge freedom of legitimate protest, the veterans (discharged soldiers) “are strongly advised to trade with caution and vacate the premises of the Federal Ministry of Finance in order to pave the way for normal government functions to be conducted seamlessly.”
Maj. Gen. Kangye stated that “It would be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria implemented the new minimum wage for all Federal Government workers in July 2024.”
He shed more light on the lingering demands of the veterans, explaining, “Before the implementation of the minimum wage, there was a chart based on which gratuity and Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) was calculated, then, the minimum wage chart. According to him the two charts are Pre-Minimum Wage Chart – Effective 1 Jan – 28 July 2024 and the Minimum Wage Chart – Effective 29 July 2024 to date.”
Maj. Gen. Kangye stressed that the calculation of Gratuity and SDA for military personnel is based on the salary chart on the effective date of retirement. “Unfortunately, the Soldiers who retired between 1 January 2024 and 28 July 2024, before the implementation of the new minimum wage, wanted their gratuity and SDA to be calculated based on the new minimum wage chart. This cannot be done because the policy of the new minimum wage came into effect on 29 July 2024.”
He added that soldiers who fall within the category of the Pre-Minimum Wage Chart are those who continually protest and construct barricades at the Federal Ministry of Finance, despite being educated on the two charts of the Defence Headquarters. “It is necessary to reiterate that government policies have an effective date of implementation, and this case cannot be an exception,” he emphasised.
Speaking in a similar vein, Air Vice Marshal A. Adebowale said that some of the grievances of the protesting soldiers are not valid. Adebowale, a top officer of the Military Pension Board, highlighted that the activities of the discharged soldiers are disrupting traffic and obstructing the finance ministry from carrying out its obligations.
He urged the soldiers to comply with the minimum wage charts as stipulated, assuring that the headquarters will continue to prioritise their situation.
