Ex-Soldiers Protest for Pension Increase at Defence Ministry

On Wednesday, ex-soldiers protested at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Abuja, expressing dissatisfaction over the non-implementation of pension adjustments and delays in applying approved salary-related benefits for retired military personnel. The protesters highlighted that President Bola Tinubu approved a salary increase for military and paramilitary personnel in November 2025, yet the adjustments have not been implemented as of August 2026.

One protester stated, “It’s as if it is a scam. This is Nigeria.

We served for 35 years. The system is wrong.” The demonstration was met with resistance from armed soldiers who blocked access to the ministry.

The Federal Government recently announced a new salary increase for military personnel, effective September 1, 2026, with increases ranging from 30% to 80%. Personnel from private to staff sergeant ranks will receive an 80% increase, warrant officers to colonels will receive 50%, and brigadier-generals and generals will receive 30%.

This new structure is expected to affect approximately 250,000 military personnel and raise the annual military wage bill from N660 billion to N924 billion.