Ex-soldiers who have been protesting the non-payment of entitlements by the Federal Government have called off their week-long strike. The retired soldiers who usually protest at the gate of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja announced the suspension of the exercise on Monday.
Politics Nigeria gathered that the ex-soldiers’ decision to call off the strike follows a pledge by the government to commence part-payment of their entitlements.
The Federal Government has promised that they will be paid their long-overdue entitlement within the week.
The ex-soldiers who were gathered at the gate of the ministry on Monday, dismantled their canopies and dispersed at about 3 pm.
Speaking on the decision to quit the daily protests, the leader of the ex-soldiers, Retired Sergeant Ekundayo Alisame said the team had a closed-door meeting with officials of the Ministry of Finance, the Military Pension Board, the Nigerian Army Welfare Insurance Scheme (NAWIS), and the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) department.
“They collected the names and promised that from now till the weekend, they will start to pay all those NAWIS, Benford, and whoever claimed not to have received some part of their payment.
“Right from the day my name is out, I was discharged, my money should be ready for collection. There is a collection that means from NAWIS, Military Pension Board, and SDA to come in bulk, so that we can utilise that money and use it well.
They said we are not entitled to the new rate. That is our conclusion today,” he said.
