By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Chairman of the Military Pensions Board (MPB), Air Vice Marshal Mikail Abdulraheem, has assured military retirees that complaints over alleged disparities in consequential pension adjustments will be investigated using official records and applicable regulations.
Abdulraheem gave the assurance in Abuja on Tuesday following concerns that salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent announced by the Federal Government for serving military personnel had not translated into corresponding pension adjustments for some retirees.
He explained that the board does not determine pension rates independently but relies on salary structures and circulars issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).
“The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission develops the applicable salary structure and issues the relevant circulars. The board then uses that structure to compute pensions and gratuities,” he said.
Abdulraheem said the revised Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure took effect on September 1, 2026, adding that the commission issued a separate circular for pension and gratuity calculations.
He disclosed that the relevant authorities, including the NSIWC, had been invited to clarify the applicable rates and explain how the revised pension figures were calculated.
“We want everyone to see the applicable documents and understand the computation rather than rely on assumptions,” he said.
The dispute intensified as veterans questioned the basis for their revised payments. Retired Major Jay Onje asked whether the announced increases were applied directly to existing pensions or calculated using a different formula.
Retired Master Warrant Officer Duru Augustine, meanwhile, questioned the pension calculations for personnel with 35 years of service. Citing annual total emoluments of about N5.21 million, or N434,211 monthly, he argued that a 90 per cent pension rate would amount to approximately N390,790 monthly.
He alleged that some retired master warrant officers received consequential adjustments of about N127,000.
Abdulraheem cautioned that total emoluments alone could not establish an individual’s pension entitlement, stressing that calculations must be based on pensionable emoluments and the applicable pension-specific salary structure.
He said the pension framework provides for 40 per cent of the relevant final emolument after 10 years of service, rising by two percentage points for each additional year until it reaches 90 per cent after 35 years.
The chairman urged retirees to provide accurate information and supporting documents, noting that individual pension records must be examined before complaints can be resolved.
The Coalition for Military Veterans Welfare formally raised the concerns in a letter dated October 10, 2026, alleging disparities in arrears paid to warrant officers and master warrant officers and seeking clarification on benefits for medically boarded personnel.
The coalition claimed that some warrant officers received about N147,000 in arrears, compared with N137,000 for master warrant officers in the 35-year service category. It called for a review of the calculations and disclosure of the basis for the payments.
The veterans are also seeking breakdowns of their gross pension entitlements and revised payments.
The amounts cited in the complaints have not been independently verified, and no final resolution was announced at the meeting. The outcome of the review and clarification from the relevant authorities is expected to determine whether the reported disparities reflect differences in the applicable computation rules or errors requiring correction.
